A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom
by Chiri-tan
Summary: "Wimpy Skull, take care of my nephew for me – Reborn." From that letter, life with Reborn's genius nephew, Tsuna Sawada becomes unavoidable. That wasn't good, especially when Skull himself has so many friends who might do the boy harm. AU; Skull27; All27
1. Prologue: Chemist

**I don't own Hitman Reborn!**

**Another pairing I want to introduce to this fandom! I brought Ver27, and now I want to present to you something new! It's Skull27!**

**Summary: "Wimpy Skull, take care of my nephew for me – Reborn." From that letter, a life with Reborn's genius nephew, Tsuna Sawada becomes unavoidable. That wasn't good, especially when Skull himself has so many friends who might do the boy harm. AU; Skull27; All27**

**Note: If the Chapter titles are the atomic numbers, that means the chapter is mainly about Tsuna, or is in his point of view. And if the Chapter title is started with 'Stunt:', the chapter is mainly about Skull, or is in his point of view.**

**Without further ado let us start~!**

**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**

* * *

_**Atomic Number 1: H (Hydrogen)**_

* * *

_My name is Tsunayoshi Sawada. People call me Tsuna. I invent several nuclear warheads for my Dad's corporation. I live with my parents and brother in Italy. I love Chemistry. What I dislike is my Uncle, even if his mind is so brilliant that I can't help but feel attracted to him. It was purely intelligent, nothing else. Yeah, that's all. I don't even get why I should create this website, just browse away. You won't find anything anyways._

Iemitsu Sawada smiled when he saw his son's blog. It was purely academic, and only god knew how many scientists have open his blog for reference purposes, how many students have came and copy-paste Tsuna's blog posts as their Chemistry homework, and how many people came only to adore his son's face, like him now.

His eldest son was a genius. There weren't any other words for that. Tsuna was only three when he delved into Iemitsu's private study. With lovely ditzy Nana lost in her second pregnancy, Tsuna freely bit the weapon encyclopedia with his teeth, and eventually read it until he can recite weapons like fairytales. He was worried, Iemitsu was really worried. After all, his beloved son was only six when he can recite all parts of the encyclopedia. But he soon dismissed it as only Tsuna's hobby.

Their second son, Natsuhiko Sawada or Natsu was an exceedingly bright individual. He was born at the same day as his brother, and with the unusual sunset eyes he was born with, he made both Nana and Iemitsu forgot about their first son. When Natsu turned nine and Tsuna turned twelve, they gave presents to Natsu, but didn't give one Tsuna, saying that he was a big man already.

Tsuna didn't say anything as he usually does whenever his parents deal with him like he was an extra luggage compared to perfect Natsu. But instead of demanding presents like Iemitsu expects him to, Tsuna only gave him two sheets of paper. "Dad, I want you to look at these." He had said with undeterred confidence.

And it shocked Iemitsu to his bones. It was a nuclear warhead. And a very well-thought ones. And these looked like the final sketches he usually showed to the Boss of Vongola, CEDEF's sister company. The blond man was in the loss of words, and Tsuna only smiled to him. "Judging from your silence and awe-look, I suppose they're good enough." He said calculatingly. "Maybe I should show it to Verde." Tsuna said more to himself than to Iemitsu now. When the brunet turned around, Iemitsu could see something… weird in his eldest son.

It was coldness. Tsuna was cold and calculating. He demanded nothing but peace and quiet, and apparently he can't tolerate Natsu, or anyone else in that matter, being inside the study. Iemitsu's study was rarely used by anyone else besides Tsuna. It became Tsuna's personal sanctuary, and at first, Iemitsu didn't mind. Only when Tsuna nearly strangled Natsu for drawing inside the study that Iemitsu and Nana began to worry.

Nana was angry and it was really a rare occurrence. She sent Tsuna to his room – joint room with Natsu – and banned him from the study. It nearly drove his eldest son insane. After the punishment was over, he began to coop inside the study even more, designing weapons. Even when Nana, Iemitsu, and Natsu tried to get him back into their normal family routine again, Tsuna didn't want it anymore.

To be perfectly honest, Tsuna didn't like his family. That was why he rather played with people – scientists – online.

Tsuna proved himself to be extraordinarily smart and the headmaster had given him freedom from studies. He can stay all day inside the school's laboratory or library as long as he attended the tests. And only Takeshi Yamamoto dared to approach Tsuna amidst the boy's eccentric nature. And thus, he was his only friend.

In the middle school, Tsuna was granted the same thing by the principal: A freedom, laboratory, and library. Another scientist – although not as enthusiastic as Tsuna was – named Hayato Gokudera became his other best friend after Tsuna saved him on an accident in the lab. Life was good.

His uncle was a constant anomaly that Tsuna couldn't get rid of. Unlike his mother and father, who cared about Natsu more than they do about Tsuna, Uncle Reborn was different. He liked Tsuna more than anyone else in the family. The self proclaimed hitman even said that Tsuna is interesting. Much more interesting than Natsu could ever be.

But, Tsuna did feel that his uncle was horridly brilliant. That was probably why he felt close to the fedora wearer.

Tsuna never thought that his life would change. Boy, he was wrong.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

"Onii," Natsu knocked the study's door carefully. He knew better not to disturb his brother when he did who knows what inside. He glanced at the wristwatch his mother gave to him when he was eight, four years ago, and sighed. His brother had been inside for almost four hours without any food or drinks. No wonder his brother was shorter than him.

The door opened slowly, and his brother greeted him with a narrowed eyes. "What is it, Natsu?" He asked hostilely.

But, by god, hostile or not, his brother was so _hot_ – cute.

He wore a blue long pajama pants and a pressing white t-shirt with 'H2O ~Water for life~' plastered on his chest. It enveloped his petite body so tightly that it looked like he was naked. They looked alike, and they could be mistaken for twins. Natsu was taller than Tsuna, and got sunset-colored eyes instead of the brown ones like his brother. Other than that, they look alike.

"Wh-what? Why are you staring?" His brother stammered, still hostile. _'By god, Onii. You dunno what effect you can have on people just by dressing like you do now!' _Natsu took a deep breath and looked at his brother in the eyes. "You got a phone call, from Uncle." He said, trying to not just _drool _at his brother's splendid features.

Tsuna sighed and took off the orange-rimmed glasses from his face. He put the glasses on the table beside the door. "Don't enter the study." He said menacingly to Natsu as he walked passed him. Natsu couldn't help it. He pouted and creased his eyebrows. His brother hated him. That's for sure. Apparently, Tsuna got ignored as a child because he constantly took Mama and Papa's affection from the older boy.

And Natsu was ready to do anything in his power to make his cutest Onii forgive him.

Natsu sighed to himself and closed the door. He made his way to the stairs and spotted his brother. He was still descending ever so carefully. Uncle Reborn once called him a wimp for being stupid enough to trip on the stairs of his own house and ever since then, Onii has been very careful to not slip and hurt himself.

Unfortunately, Onii's luck was scarce in any field that wasn't academicals.

"By god!" His brother screamed when he lost his footing. Natsu ran and held his brother's hand. The sunset-eyed boy pulled him into a hug and shielded his Onii from most of the blow. "Potassium Nitrate!" His brother shouted. "What the hell was that? !" Natsu thought that his brother was shouting at him, but he was wrong. His brother was looking at the stair where he lost his footing.

Natsu smiled and instinctively pulled his brother into a hug again. "Thank goodness you're fine, Onii!" He whispered.

The older brunet looked at him with narrowed eyes. He still looked hostile, but at least he was looking at Natsu straight in the eyes. "Thanks…" Onii whispered, and Natsu couldn't help but blush. Tsunayoshi Sawada, his own brother, was the cutest human being he'd ever seen. No amount of hostility could cover that natural charm his brother gave.

Onii helped him stand before taking the phone.

"How do you know it's me? What? Really? Darn…" Onii shook his head in defeated expression. "Huh? Your friend? By the door?" Onii looked at the door curiously. "EEEH? But-but, okay…" Onii closed the phone and approached the door. "Onii?" Natsu didn't like this one bit. Uncle Reborn's friends were bound to be dangerous. After all, their Uncle _was _a hitman.

But his brother said nothing, and kept on approaching the door. The steps he took were small, yet quick. And inevitably, his foot bumped to the umbrella holder and he tripped right in front of the door. "Onii!" Natsu jumped to his brother, accidentally sitting on his pelvis. At the same time, the door opened, revealing the oddest man he'd ever seen.

He had the oddest, spiky purple hair and purple make-ups to match his hair. He got piercings on his ear and mouth, and it was linked with a chain. Several bandage was on his face. He wore a full leather outfit and carried a motorcycle helmet.

"O-oooi, is dame-Tsuna here? I got a letter from Reborn-senpai." His voice was… weird. It resembled a girl's, but still deep enough baritone. Natsu could tell that he was nervous though. "Skull…-san?" Tsuna said with a slight blush.

Oh gods. Natsu knew exactly that his brother's tastes are always… the weird one.

* * *

**Next:**

**Opening Stunt: Skull de Mort.**

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**I hope that I can make you guys enjoy this pairing like I made you guys enjoy Ver27 XD**

**The prologues are the worst-thought part of my story -,- but it gets better after the prologues I presume XD**

**Please review :D**

**Your friendly fangirl,**

**~Chiri-tan**


	2. Prologue: Stuntman

_**Opening Stunt: Skull de Mort.**  
_

* * *

_Skull took off his helmet and smiled to the camera. He held up the motocross trophy up high. "Master Skull! Kyaaaaa!" He can hear women shouting his name and men looked up to him in awe. Once again, he had charged through a ring of fire with Oodako, his most precious and impervious bike. "Congratulations, Mister de Mort!" The reporter, a super sexy blond bombshell offered him the mic. He grinned._

"_Well yeah," He commented shortly. He grinned to the crowd and held up his trophy even higher. The crowd went wild. He then lowered his trophy and kissed it. "You really are loved by God! There's no way a normal human could have done what you just did, Mister de Mort!" The reporter exclaimed enthusiastically. "Loved by God? That's not quite true." He said, smirking to the reporter who swooned. _

"_Better yet, it's quite the opposite," Skull took an unnoticeable gulp before pulling a stunt that will make his manager blown away with happiness. "I'm Skull de Mort. I'm not loved by the gods. It's just that the grim reaper hated me so that he never allowed me to descend." He smirked and kissed the reporter's earlobe._

_The crowds roared. But, after a bottle of wine spread on his face, he dismissed all of the interviewers and asked his manager to handle everything. _

_It is, after all, a precious person's birthday._

_The person who changed him from an utter wimp in almost anything but motocross, into only a wimp in front of his close friends. It was a big improvement! Skull liked him, like everyone else he knew. _

_He rushed to his changing room to see a pair of spiky hairs. One of them was green, and the other was brown. "Hello, wimpy Skull." Verde said without looking to his face. He was looking at the sketch in front of him. "This is beautiful. You really are a genius." He said to the small boy, who smiled. "Thanks, Verde." He replied politely. "Is it really okay? It's your special day, you shouldn't have been here." Skull said nervously._

_Sweat formed on his temples and his knees began to buckle. He was tired and restless. He'd been nervous about the competition he just won for days. "It's fine. Uncle Reborn brought me here. Besides, _they're _busy preparing Natsu's super special seventh birthday after all." There was a disdain in his voice, but Skull didn't care. He fell to his knees and threw his head to the small child's lap. "Skull…-san?" His voice tingled in Skull's ears. _

"_Happy tenth birthday, Tsuna." Skull whispered as he drifted into the dreamland. But, he can still hear Verde's disapproving voice._

"_What a wimp."_

_There was a sound of giggle, and then everything went forgotten._

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

The Giglio Nero bar had always been his favorite place to hang out. After all day of rolling around in the muddy motocross track, he can always count on the bar owner, Lady Luche to serve a glass of warming ginger ale.

Hey, come on, Ginger Ale's not that bad. And it's definitely not a kid's drink since he asked her to add some alcohol to warm his body up even more. The odd thing is he never got drunk no matter how much he drank them.

Strange, it's like they don't even have alcohol in them…

But anyways, Skull was just hanging out in the bar like he always does. He was circled by the same group of friends since his days in college. The Arcobalenos, that's how they like to refer to themselves. He liked it too. Arcobaleno means Rainbow, and Rainbow has the most awesome color ever invented: Violet. "But it's true, totally true!" He exclaimed, and most definitely didn't _whine_.

Colonnello and Lal laughed, Fon and Luche smiled to him in a very gentle manner, while Reborn and Verde smirked and commented at how much of a kid he is. Viper was there, looking at him with 'what-am-I-going-to-do-with-this-guy' stare and shrugged before taking a sip of his own Silver Bullet, his favorite cocktail. "Purple totally rules the world."

"Okay, Skull's fetish to purple aside," Reborn said as he casted a glance of contempt to his face. "What're you doing, Verde?" The fedora wearer took a sip of vodka in front of Verde's laptop. "That's my Vodka." Verde said without averting his gaze away from his laptop. "C'mon, it's all on the house anyways. Right Luche?" The bar owner nodded with a smile. "It's been such a long time since we can gather like this!" She exclaimed happily.

"I've been busy with taking care of my baby Aria, Verde and Reborn has their works, Colonnello and Lal are busy with military, Fon has the Exploding Fists martial arts school to run, Viper has work with Varia, and Skull has his motocross! We're all adults now aren't we?" Luche giggled. Everyone nodded nostalgically.

Silence arrived upon the Arcobaleno table, but then, Reborn took a peek to Verde's laptop. "Hey, that's a nuclear warhead, isn't it?" Reborn asked nonchalantly, like it wasn't a destructive weapon that can kill many people at once. "Yeah, a very adorable friend of mine sent this to me." Verde said with a fond grin. It was creepy. Skull had never seen Verde grin before.

"Oh, tell us if his newest weapon is finished, hey!" Colonnello said as he took a sip of his Calvados and threw his arm to Lal's shoulder. "We would like to test it! Wouldn't we, Lal?" Lal Mirch looked uncomfortable, but happy with Colonnello's hand on her body. She nodded. "True. Sawada's shotguns are always the best." She said as he threw a gentle look to two huge violin cases that belonged to her and Colonnello.

"Wait, didn't Sawada specialize in nuclear?" Viper asked, facing to Reborn. "Iemitsu only used his name for the nuclear sketches Tsuna showed him three years ago, on his twelfth birthday. The rest of weapon sketches, including the doodles of shotguns and rifles he made when he was six went to me, and I sent it to Verde, who got it produced." Skull looked awed by all of this. Tsunayoshi Sawada had always been the Arcobaleno's favorite talk. Each of them viewed them in their own ways.

Reborn and Verde had been the closest to the boy. Reborn was the closest because he's his Uncle and Verde because he's another scientist. Reborn viewed Tsuna as his prodigious nephew who was deprived of his parents' love. Reborn didn't show him parental love in a way that normal parents did. Reborn showed him expectations and support, and Skull thought that it was awesome.

Verde viewed him as a fellow scientist and a great asset to the company he's running. The Sparks Industry rivaled CEDEF and Vongola Industry in weaponry; it's all thanks to the mysterious weapon-designer that Chief Verde employed. Little everyone knows that CEDEF's nuclear chemist and Sparks' weapon designer was the same person. He was so glad that he decided to take Tsuna's education as his personal challenge, it was worth it.

Lal and Colonnello liked Tsuna very much. Because, as they put it, they can feel Tsuna's care and consideration towards the users in his creations. And since Tsuna was the designer of those weapons, he also gave Lal and Colonnello pointers about weapons. They were happy about that.

Viper liked Tsuna because he was the maker of Viper's favorite type of gas: the Mammon's Misty Illusion. It sent his opponents into verge of insanity just by inhaling the gas, and it was also Tsuna's masterpiece. It also became Viper's signature move in his career as part of Varia mercenaries. It made him quite famous in the underground world by the name Mammon.

Fon and Luche loved children. They disapproved all of their views about the child. Fon even commented about how disappointed he was in Sawada family, to break such a cute, sweet, and innocent child. Tsuna, despite all odds and hostility, was a kind individual. He was also good with babysitting little Aria, to Luche's joy, and she can't seem to find anyone who can babysit Aria besides her bartender Gamma, and Tsuna.

"Anyways," Reborn said as he gulped down Verde's vodka. "The Millefiores are getting on my nerves." Verde, Lal, Colonnello, Fong and Viper tensed. Skull and Luche were the only two of them that didn't work in underground world. Sure, they both have done one dirty deed or two, but they're not as deeply involved as the legendary hitman: Reborn, or the Mad Scientist: Verde, or the Lotus Dragon: Fon. Let alone the Misty Mammon and the Dual Mafia-Military Heroes Colonnello and Lal Mirch. The others made quite a name for themselves.

"Millefiore… huh?" Colonnello shot a glare to Lal, who nodded. But then, Skull's head began to swirl. "Huh? What did I drink?" He asked to himself with a girlish whine. He immediately cursed himself for letting out such a sound. Luche smiled to him in understanding.

"Well then, please excuse us." Luche then brought him to a room and asked him to drink some water. She told him to lie down on the sofa and covered him with a blanket. Precisely when Luche closed the door, Skull lost consciousness.

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

When he woke up the next morning, his head felt like it was going to burst. He must've been wrong. The Ginger Ale really did have alcohols in them. Maybe he was a tough drinker. But… he also drowned Lal's bottle of Vermouth yesterday. Damn, he was a weakling then.

He got up from the sofa and looked to the table beside him. There were a glass of water, a hangover pill, and two pieces of papers. Skull narrowed his eyes and examined the orange-colored paper. It must be Luche's then.

_Dear Skull,_

_I'm doing grocery shopping with Gamma and Aria. Please take the pill and have some breakfast, they're on the counter._

_-Luche._

"I love you, Luche!" He said with sheer gratitude. Skull spared no time and gulped down two pills at once. And then he examined the letter. It was written in a neat letters like it was printed, and it was on a yellow paper. That meant that it was from Reborn. Dammit all to hell. Skull had a major inferiority complex towards Reborn, Verde, Colonnello, and Fong. Even from their days at college, those two, Colonnello, and Fong were always the center of attention while he and Viper went forgotten.

_Wimpy Skull,_

_Take care of my nephew for me._

_-Reborn._

With only three sentences, ten words, and thirty four letters, Skull gulped and shrieked. Panic rise to his head and he began to sweat frantically. "Wait, something's written behind?"

_I got a mission last night and it's a long one. I don't want to leave Tsuna to Nana and Iemitsu's watch since they'll just neglect him. At first I don't want to give him to you, but Luche's busy and the others are busy too. You're the lackey, and the most free between us. So yeah, I leave it to you._

_P.S: If something happens to him, Viper will use his Mammon's Misty Illusion while you're in your bike while I snipe you from your motocross and Verde will never let your corpse rot so Lal and Colonnello can make bullet holes on your heads. Fon will use you as a sandbag before Luche burns your corpse inside her fireplace._

Skull shivered violently. He was sweating like crazy because if it came from Reborn's letter, it's a given that what was written was the sheer truth. He gulped nervously as his violet eyes flitted across the room.

It wasn't a bad idea… for any of the Arcobaleno but him. Skull was the most childish between all of them, and he certainly had no idea how to babysit a fifteen years old teenager. Reborn knew better than leaving Skull alone with Tsuna. Even Verde, as much as Reborn distrusted him, was a better choice than the wimpy Skull.

Skull took a deep, nice, and calming breath. He examined the letter once more and tried to calm down. He made several calls to make sure that another room inside his big penthouse was prepared to have a resident coming. He decided to transform the small library he had beside the TV room to Tsuna's bedroom, since the kid liked books a lot. And maybe, if Tsuna requested it, he'll make him a lab or something.

He loved spoiling him, that lovely boy, but… definitely not as an equal. Skull saw him as a child, Reborn's precious nephew, and not a man who he will be in charge of. Never in Skull's life had he ever thought about this.

Wimpy Skull taking a charge? That seemed impossible. Especially when the charge is a horrifyingly genius Chemist.

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

"Wish me luck, Oodako." Skull whispered to his bike as he took off his helmet. He was in front of the Sawada's, and he was unbelievably nervous. He was trembling and his mind forced him to think about what he could have forgotten. A single, comfortable bed had been moved in earlier, and it was definitely a nice room. And his manager also prepared groceries for two. Everything was perfect. But he can't help but to _worry_, no _freak out._

He took a deep breath and looked at his phone. Reborn's text message was there, taunting him with the postscript of his letter even when it was just a few short words.

_Told him already. Go in, you wimpy lackey._

_-R_

Skull wanted to retort about the name-calling, but he was too nervous. He approached the door, still gripping his helmet for the life of him. His hand approached the door and opened it slowly. The creaks tormented his soul and he was sweating mad. He regretted wearing the leather jacket, it was so uncomfortable.

When the door opened, he was shown the oddest scene he'd ever seen. Tsuna was there, lying down in front of the door with his head in front of Skull's feet. His younger brother – Natsuhiko or something – was sitting on his pelvis, peering at Skull like he was some sort of a tourist attraction.

Skull gathered all of his courage and said: "O-oooi, is dame-Tsuna here? I got a letter from Reborn-senpai." And it sounded too… girlish and cowardly to his liking.

Doubt washed over him. Can he take care of Tsuna? Is it possible? Will it harm the brunet? Living with a stuntman wasn't a good thing, was it? Worst of all, _will he end up like the postscript in Reborn's letter?_ Skull wanted to bolt out. And was about to do so if it weren't for Tsuna's reaction.

"Skull…-san?" Red tinted his cheeks in a very adorable shade of pink. It made Skull himself blush in happiness. The Chemist expected much from him.

Skull felt immense gratitude from the pair of chocolate brown eyes looking at him with sheer expectancy. It was like life was going to be fun because Tsuna was with _him, _with Wimpy Skull. He grinned in return.

From then on, it was his opening stunt. It was like charging through a Maelstrom of life with his Oodako. Only this time, a certain genius Chemist was with him.

* * *

**Next:**

**Atomic Number 3: Li (Lithium)**

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**How does it become longer than what I expected? Darnnnn XD**

**Anyways, how did I do with Skull's characterization? I just realized that there isn't much to work for in the manga T_T**

**Review replies:**

**Phantom Hitman 1412**** – Thank you so much! I was worried that I didn't write it well. Your reviews are always so awesome that it's hard to reply. I hope you liked this chapter as well!**

**Patrimohime-sama**** - Ahaha yes, Skull and Tsuna isn't really much of a pairing. But I wanted to try something with them XDD**

**Akahama Nera**** – Indeeeeeed! I'm always so bored with the constant normal pairings. So I tried to be creative a bit~**

**Orcux**** - Thank you! This chapter doesn't show much of Skull27 either :/ But I hope you like this chapter anyways XD**

**Suzu no Miya**** – Thanks! I do hope that people started to like ship this pairing because of my story, it'd be such a great honor!**

**Radiant World**** – LOOL I'm glad I'd written this to satisfy your longing then~ I feel so flattered by your review, I hope you enjoy this chapter XD**

**ShinDragonX**** - Yep I've seen drabbles, but no actual story. Skull27 is a very interesting pairing to write about though XD**

**kittit24**** – Oh PLEASE DO RAID MY PROFILE! If you become a Ver27 fangirl… THAT'LL BE SO AWESOME!**

**Vidimus**** – Thank you very much! And about Natsuhiko… I have a feeling that you'll like the next chapter a lot XD**

**Kichou**** – I don't like writing them either XD I hope you enjoy this chapter XD**

**King IL**** – Indeeeeed XD**

**runwithanime**** - Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this too!**

**Yuki-n-Shuichi4evrfan33**** - Thanks! I hope you liked this too!**

**Please review again?**

**Your friendly fangirl, **

**~Chiri-tan**


	3. Prologue Again: Chemist

_**Atomic Number 3: Li (Lithium)**_

* * *

_Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you~_

_Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you~_

_Tsuna was singing to himself, even when the same song echoed from downstairs. Only it wasn't for him. The internet was down and Yamamoto and Gokudera were busy and he didn't want to impose at all. So he didn't tell them about his birthday. Unlike perfect Natsu, of course, who got a full-fledged party with all his friends from kindergarten and elementary school present. Tsuna locked himself in the study without any food, only a galon of mineral water and a box of coke Uncle Reborn sent a few days ago. He sighed. Even his parents forgot, huh?_

_He made a model cake with books and put twelve cokes on top of his square cake. "Make a wish, Tsuna." He said to himself. But, as he was about to blow all of his twelve empty cans off, his phone vibrated and showed him an email he'd never expected._

To: tsuna27nuclear(at)rocketmail(dot)com

From: grimstuntmanreaper(at)yahoo(dot)com

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I WISH YOU ALL THE EXPLOSION THAT CAN OCCUR WITH YOUR CHEMISTRY SET! MAY THE GRIM REAPER BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR!

-Skull and Viper representing the Arcobaleno :D

_Enclosed to it was a picture of a test-tube shaped cake and the members of Arcobaleno surrounding it. They were somewhere around America for a job, that was why they couldn't be with him. Luche-san was behind the cake with Fon-san, their lips were touching and Fon-san was shirtless. Uncle Reborn was beside Verde, stealing his Vodka when the green-haired professor looked so focused to his laptop, probably analysing the weapon he just designed. Lal and Colonnello were there as well, pointing at each other with a handgun on their hands. And the closest to the camera were Skull-san and Viper-san. The purple-haired stuntman was pulling the infamous illusionist closer to him as he made a peace sign and showed a huge grin to the camera._

_Tsuna laughed, but somehow, his tears were leaking. Skull-san… the Arcobaleno… all of them remembered him. Tsuna smiled widely and sent a thank you message. He looked at the other emails, and stopped at Uncle Reborn's email._

To: tsuna27nuclear(at)rocketmail(dot)com

From: hitmanreborn(at)hotmail(dot)com

Dearest nephew,

I've been thinking to go to your homeland Japan. I'll take you when you're fifteen, okay? Only us without your parents and we might be staying there. That means you got to live with me, dame-Tsuna. Happy early twelfth birthday.

-R

_The little brunet looked at his 'cakes' and smiled. "Just three more years." He whispered and blowed off all of the cans._

_"Happy twelfth birthday, me."_

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

_"Hey, aren't you sad?" Verde asked him as he straightened his slightly crooked glasses. "Sad?" He questioned. "I mean the whole thing with your parents and brother." He only smiled, but it eventually turned into a chuckle. "I don't need it." He said as he shook a test tube. "I don't… need it anymore."_

_"All I need are my atoms. They will never betray me." He then threw the test tube to the building in front of him. It instantly burst into flames. "They're good. Viper-san would really like it." He smiled._

_The green-haired professor examined the boy in front of him. He was short and didn't look like anyone formidable. But… the fact that he just burned down the entire building with only a tiny test tube intrigued him. "Let's go get some parfait? I'm hungry." He sighed._

_"Ah, yeah." Verde said as he cleaned some of the dusts from the boy's lab coat. "Happy thirteenth birthday, Tsuna."_

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

Skull-san was the most childish amongst the Arcobaleno. Everyone, and of course our favorite Chemist, knew that.

That was why it shocked him to know that the one who will take care of him in Uncle Reborn's place was the stuntman. Tsuna had expected his fellow scientist, Verde, to be the one, but Uncle Reborn phoned him and said that it was Skull.

When Tsuna first laid his eyes on him, he instantly knew that Skull-san himself thought that it wasnt a good idea. He was sweating frantically, much like Tsuna when he was doing his experiment inside his lab. That was why he did what he always wanted whenever he was doubting, a smile with a sheer amount of expectancy. It always did the work.

"Natsu, get off me. Please." Tsuna said after three whole minutes of staring between them. "Y-yo, Dame-Tsuna." Skull-san greeted, trying to be the cool adult. He surpressed the need to giggle though. Because Skull-san stammered his Japanese. It was a cute attempt though. And Tsuna appreciated it. "No worry, please use Italiano if you want." He said in perfect Italian.

Because unlike Natsu, who went into a Japanese school in Italy, Tsuna went into a public school where almost everyone was Italian. He, Takeshi Yamamoto, and Hayato Gokudera were the only Japanese there, and they were very... rare. The only asian there besides themselves was the horridly cheerful librarian, Maia, who was an Indonesian.

His father was adept at Italian (that's to be expected) but his mother and Natsu were clueless about it. Nana Sawada only knew simple words she needed to know when she was going out to buy groceries and Natsu was entered into the Japanese school. Tsuna never got that privelege though. He worked his ass off to understand Italian like it was his first language.

Verde was the opposite of Nana and Natsu. He was a full blooded Italian who only knew simple Japanese. Uncle Reborn told him to stay with Verde until he knew absolutely everything Verde said, and the fact that Verde often used big words instead of normal ones didn't help him at all.

It was torture, but at least he was good at Italian in a course of two weeks. And what really puzzled him after that was the fact that his parents didn't even notice that he was gone for two weeks. He snickered at the thought. When was he ever considered a member of this family anyways.

But anyways, he smiled to the eccentric stuntman in front of him. "It's been a long time, Skull-san." He said with a bright smile."The last time we met was at my tenth birthday, yes? That's five years ago. From then on, we haven't met face to face." But, instead of answering like Tsuna thought he would, Skull-san threw away his face.

"Eh?" He tilted his head slightly to show his confusion, but oddly, Natsu also threw his head. _'Maybe something's wrong with them...?' _Tsuna thought with slight disapproval. Skull-san might come across as cute, but his brother certainly shouldn't have had that reaction. After all, Tsuna lived with him, under the same roof. While Skull-san is probably nervous about seeing him after such a long time, there shouldn't have been any kind of that with his brother.

"Ah, yeah, sorry." Skull-san said, still in a heavily accented and clumsy Japanese. Tsuna smiled in a gentle manner. _"__Ah__,__no,__si prega di__usare la lingua italiana__." _He said without any difficulties. Natsu stared at him with awe and Skull-san looked at him nervously. _"A-ah, grazie." _Skull-san stammered softly.

"Guys, speak Japanese!" Natsu interrupted childishly. "Or at least English! I suck at Italian." He switched midway from Japanese to English. Tsuna looked at him coldly. "Any particular reason why?" Tsuna muttered in perfect English. Natsu was stunned and Tsuna knew perfectly why. He often did that, intimidating his family so they won't come closer.

"Wait! Wait! That's so scary, Tsuna!" Skull-san gibbered in Italian. It was so fast that even Tsuna had to listen to it properly. "Oh for Alumunium Sulfate's sake… It's his fault if he couldn't speak Italian." He replied in English. Honestly, even when it was confusing to continuously changing language, Tsuna refused to budge in this. It was like how the noble gas refused to bond with any other atoms, it didn't need to. And he didn't need to as well.

Skull-san was still breaking sweat, but Tsuna then smiled pleasantly to him. "Ah, when are we moving out?" For the first time since his arrival, Skull-san grinned. "Ah, yeah! Reborn-senpai told me that you like books so I made my personal library your bedroom." He said, quite proud of himself. Tsuna also grinned. Having a library as his room would be like having a study along with his bedroom. At least he didn't need to sleep on the floor like he usually did now.

_"Sugoooi!" _He switched to Japanese from Italian. Natsu looked confused. "When will I move in with you?" He said in Japanese, making his brother's eyes widen. "Well, I-I made all the preparations, so if you feel comfortable with riding a motorcycle, we can return to my - our apartment now." Skull-san said in a clumsy, accented Japanese. Tsuna giggled and he hugged the stuntman's waist. "Skull-san is so cute!"He exclaimed.

Skull-san threw his face and slammed his helmet to his head. "Well, shall we go." He said to Tsuna in a princely manner. Tsuna smiled and bolted upstairs. He'd been packing all of his belongings ever since Reborn promised him that he can move in with him. Even when his stay with Skull-san was unexpected, at least Skull-san cares about him and _sees _him. Unlike his parents.

When he returned downstairs, his brother and parents were confronting Skull-san, who still didn't take off his helmet. The stuntman was shivering invisibly, but Tsuna could tell from the amount of sweat that fogged the insides of his helmet's glass. Natsu was clenching his reddened fists. _Don't tell me Natsu tried to punch Skull-san… He's the man hated by the grim reaper! What do you expect by punching him!_

"I never agreed to that!" Dad - Iemitsu Sawada thundered. "Tsuna is my son, and therefore he will stay with me until he is an adult!" The elder of Sawada brothers dropped his suitcase and briefcase, clearly shocked. _Now _he cared about him?

"That's right! Tsu-chan is our precious son!" Nana said as he hugged Natsu defensively. Tsuna shivered and trembled. "Please correct me if I'm wrong…" Skull-san said from behind his helmet, sounding so… calm and collected. "But for the past few years, both of you have been neglecting him. Why do you think he was shorter and scrawnier than his brother, who's younger than Tsuna by three years? It's abnormal, don't you think?" None of them talked. Tsuna took his luggage and descended the stairs slowly.

When Skull-san saw him, he smiled and stretched his hand. "Ready to go, Tsuna?" He asked in a princely manner that clearly didn't suit the helmet-less Skull. But Tsuna smiled to him. "I'm ready, Skull-san." He took the leather-gloved hands. "Tsu-chan!" Mom - Nana Sawada screamed. "You're my son! You can't just go without my consent!" She said in a shrill voice, losing all the ditziness she had before. Tsuna was about to answer, but Skull-san beat him to it.

"In fact, Mrs. Sawada, he can." It sounded so cold that Tsuna felt compelled to clap his hands. Iemitsu looked at Skull angrily. "It's my choice, Dad." Tsuna said with finality. "Besides, now you can have your perfect family, right? It's always been like that. The perfect Sawada Family consists of Iemitsu Sawada, Nana Sawada, and Natsuhiko Sawada." Tsuna said bitterly. He took out the pendant he constantly wore around his neck and threw it to the ground. A small photo went out of the pendant.

_"Arrivederci, mia Famiglia."_

Tsuna then let himself be pulled by Skull-san and slammed the door to his family's face.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

They didn't take Oodako right away. He, Skull-san and Oodako walked to a nearby park, where Skull-san took off his helmet and sighed. "That was so fucking scary!" He said in Italian. Tsuna laughed. "I couldn't believe myself there. You were so… brilliant! You deserve a brilliant shower of powdered- Aurum!" Tsuna exclaimed.

"Your helmet… huh?" He deducted. Skull-san smirked. "You're really smart aren't you, Tsuna?" The stuntman snickered. Tsuna touched the helmet Skull-san wore and closed his eyes. "This helmet is unique… It's made of Lithium?" The purple addict nodded. "Tsuna, I'm tired!" Skull-san whined childishly.

"Well then I suggest w-we go home now." Tsuna yawned. "Well then, I better put on my helmet. I hope you don't mind riding Oodako." Tsuna shook his head. He was actually excited! This would be the first time he rode Oodako.

"Ready… set… YAHOO!"

As soon as Skull-san started the bike, adrenaline raced to his system. Not just because of Oodako's speed, because he knew that he was about to charge into a whirlpool of trouble, and a certain stuntman was guiding him.

* * *

**Next:**

**First Stunt: Morning Chaos.**

* * *

_Ah__,__no,__si prega di__usare la lingua italiana__. - _Ah, no, please use the Italian language.

_Grazie - _Thanks

_Arrivederci, mia Famiglia._ - Goodbye, my family.

_Sugoi _- Awesome

**Review replies:**

**Kichou - Yep, I hope you enjoy this update too!**

**mischievious - Well, I hope you'll be able to like this pairing!**

**Akahama Nera - I love writing about that part as well! It's so fun to write XD**

**runwithanime - If I can, I will make the chapters longer XD It's just that I can't so :/ Thanks! I'm so glad I got Skull right!**

**jiake97 - All will happen due times~**

**Radiant World - Thank you so much! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too~**

**PoisonAndSugar - Thank you! *though I haven't been in tumblr for long* I hope you can enjoy this chapter and be converted to Skull27 fangirl~**

**kittit24 - I'm a fervent shipper of Everyone27 XDD so expect more, and I mean **_**more **_**pairings from me XD**

**mangopudding - I KNOW RIGHT! I think it's a bit unrealistic for a stuntman to be such a coward in front of anyone and everyone at all**

**Eli and Onee-chan - Chances are always the greatest thing that happen to us XDD AND THANK YOU! I thought it was read in columns and not the rows DX what a derpy mistake. *fixed it before posting this***

**SelfcreatedCharacter**** - Tehehehe thanks! The whole Nana and Iemitsu plot will be explained in time~**

**Ricano - Thank you! Please delve withiiiin the realm of Skull27 XD**

**Vidimus - Thanks! And I'm sorry! The whole brother-complex thing with Natsuhiko and Skull will be explained in Skull's POV of this chapter T_T I hope you forgive me T_T**

**Well then, please review~**


	4. First Stunt: Morning Chaos

_**First Stunt: Morning Chaos.**_

* * *

_Little Skull was always proud of the fact that he was unnaturally strong. Always. He thought that he was better than the other kids. He can make his Mother and Father proud that way._

_His Father was a stuntman, a profession he'd want to take when he's older. Even though his father was partially deaf and had scars on his entire body, Skull was proud, immensely proud of him, and the fact that he has a strong body further convinced him to pursue his dream to be a stuntman._

_Their Family consisted of four people: Mr. Cerberus de Mort, Mrs. Demeter "Demi" de Mort, Medea de Mort, and Skull de Mort. Out of four of them, Demi and Medea de Mort actually wanted nothing but normality, unlike Cerberus and Skull who craved adventure._

_Little Skull loved his family, a lot. Medea was a nice and cool older sister even when she didn't like anything extreme, his Dad was perfect, and his mom... Well, she's Mom._

_But there was an accident, an accident which reduced the number of de Mort household. When Skull was ten, he and Medea were playing near the street. The ball went a bit too far and they both went to chase it. A truck came so fast and it hit both Medea and Skull on their faces._

_When Cerberus and Demi came to hospital, they didn't expect to have Skull alive, even when he was severely injured. They were sure that like Medea, Skull was gone as well. But, there was something in his parents' eyes that Skull didn't understand. His mother sobbed to her own hands. "If only it was Medea…"_

_But it didn't last long. After Medea's death, Cerberus went on more and more stunts. And each of them was more dangerous than the previous one. Demi got frustrated and became violent. Little Skull didn't know what happened to his family, but he kept on believing that someday, it'll be like it was before, like when Mom never hit him and actually smile at him._

_It was during these times that he endlessly shouts about his own greatness. He wanted to be arrogant. He needed to vent off. He wanted everyone to see how brave he was, how enduring he was, and **noticed **him. It was during this time that he met Viper, a nice and quiet kid who sat on Math with him. It was during this time that Skull learned from the self-claimed illusionist that not everything can be changed back into what it was before._

_On one particular night that Little Skull will remember forever, he listened to a sentence that will change his life forever._

_He was just on his way to get a glass of milk because he couldn't sleep, he heard his mother's voice. "I can't stand your stunts anymore!" She screamed, probably to his father. Skull pressed his ear to the door. "Demi-"_

_"Do you want to die? ! I hate it when I see you walk out the door and know that you might march to your death! And there's Skull too! That child is so much like you!"_

_"I'm doing this for our family!"_

_"No, you're doing it for yourself!" Demi screamed, her voice trembled. "Don't you think that you're any better, Demeter, I know that you often hit Skull!" Cerberus roared. Little Skull flinched._

_"And he never even form a bruise after all that! That child is creepy! He'd never been scarred all his life!"_

_"Don't you change the subject to concern him!"_

_"Of course! After all, why would you name him_ Skull _of all names! Is it because of that stupid gothic mistress of yours?" Demi accused. Mistress? Little Skull did know what that means. Mistress was one of the words Mom often used during her shouting session to him. His father went silent._

_"I want a divorce!" Mom said in a shrill scream. "We need to keep up the pretense though," Cerberus said coldly. "I don't want to be involved with all these divorce nonsense. I don't want that child as much as you don't. We should raise him together."_

_There was a loud noise. And Skull somehow knew that it was his mom's favorite vase. "That child... I wish that child had never been born! I WISH HE WAS THE ONE WHO DIED, NOT MY MEDEA!" Then, his mom, no,_ Medea's mom,_ burst into tears._

_How did Little Skull knew that she was crying? Because the door fell open, revealing a purple eyed child with widened eyes to the brown-eyed man and blue-eyed woman's eyes._

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

"Well, shall we go." It wasn't a question. He bowed in a princely manner to the brunet boy in front of him. His helmet really did help him. It was because of the green glass that he wasn't nervous. It was because of the constant prickling sensation the Lithium gave his head that calmed him down from a nervous train-wreck into a normal adult.

The boy smiled and bolted upstairs, and a grin crept to Skull's lips. "I hate you!" Another brunet that Skull had forgotten the presence (really rare, since he was usually the forgotten one) shouted. "Why would you take Onii away? I love him here!" Skull narrowed his eyes. This boy… was really really egoistic. Skull might have been a childish one who wanted to win, but at least he didn't only think of his own happiness.

"But Tsuna doesn't want to be here." He said in the simplest Japanese words he knew. "You might love him here. Want him here. But he isn't happy here. Reborn-senpai wanted him to find happiness and freedom, unbound from his family. And I'm here to help that." Skull said flawlessly. He was scared. Really scared for letting his poisonous mouth. Really, hanging out around Viper can do that to you. He was also scared by the consequences of his words. Can he really let his mouth ran like this to Reborn's relative?

"I love Onii and I want him here! I want him to stay!" The brunet whined. Skull tried his best to not just punch this kid on his face. "That's just selfishness." He countered coldly. That was when the brunet jumped and slammed his hand to his helmet. Skull tried to evade him. His helmet was poisonous, but he reacted by slapping the boy's hand with his leather gloved ones.

The boy shrieked, and that brought his parents' attention. "Natsu? What is wrong, my dear?" Nana Sawada and Iemitsu Sawada came out from the living room. They saw Natsu on the ground and panicked almost instantly.

Nana rushed to her son and asked him if he was alright. Iemitsu glared at him with anger and menace flaming madly in his eyes. "Who are you and what do you want?" He asked, venom dripping maliciously from his words. The purple-haired man gulped and straighten his back, he faced the man's honey-brown eyes through his green glass.

"I'm Skull de Mort," he said without faltering. "I'm Reborn's acquaintance. He's asked me to take care of your son." Skull was cheering inside his head. He didn't stutter or falter. "No need. _We _can take care of our son." The blond man said curtly. Skull, even as crazy as it sounded to his own ears, snorted. "You can take care of him? Maybe you can take care of his brain and ideas." He said sarcastically.

Whoa, he must've been really pissed off. He never knew that he can answer with sarcasm before.

His eyes examined the family in front of him. Iemitsu Sawada, Nana Sawada, and Natsuhiko Sawada. He never liked them, but he never despised them. But now… he does. He'd been noticing it during the conversation he had with Tsuna before. There were family photos, and birthday photos, but… none of them has Tsuna on them.

They reminded him of his own family. Only without the mistress. He wondered if Tsuna had heard those cursed words too before…

He wondered if Tsuna was like him. A child who was unwanted by his parents.

"I'm here to take him with me. As Reborn requested." Skull said without any stutter. Tsuna deserved happiness. And he didn't want someone who was so adored by he and his friends to suffer the same thing he did. "I never agreed to that!" The blond man shouted.

Suddenly, another brunet with brown eyes appeared on top of the stairs. He looked shocked, and angered. Skull smiled under his helmet.

"That's right! Tsu-chan is our precious son!" Nana said as he hugged the Natsuhiko defensively. Skull hissed. "Please correct me if I'm wrong…" He said from behind his helmet, trying to be as calm as possible. "But for the past few years, both of you have been neglecting him. Why do you think he was shorter and scrawnier than his brother, who's younger than Tsuna by three years? It's abnormal, don't you think?" None of them talked. Skull never felt this proud before, not by his own words, at least.

When the chemist walked passed his family and stood in front of him, he smiled and offered his hand. "Ready to go, Tsuna?" Hope twinkled in the chemist's eyes, and Skull was proud that _he _was the reason for it. "I'm ready, Skull-san." Tsuna took the leather-gloved hands. "Tsu-chan!" Nana Sawada screamed. "You're my son! You can't just go without my consent!" She said in a shrill voice, losing all the ditziness she had before. Skull clenched his teeth and let his mouth ran for him.

"In fact, Mrs. Sawada, he can."

The chemist looked at him with awe. He took a deep breath and faced his family. "It's my choice, Dad." The finality in his voice was so clear. ""Besides, now you can have your perfect family, right? It's always been like that. The perfect Sawada Family consists of Iemitsu Sawada, Nana Sawada, and Natsuhiko Sawada." Tsuna said bitterly, and Skull kind of understood it. He was the same after all. Tsuna took out the pendant he constantly wore around his neck and threw it to the ground. A small photo went out of the pendant.

_Arrivederci, mia Famiglia._

It was what Tsuna said. And funny, Skull also said that to his family. All those years ago.

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

There was a onetime occurrence in his college life when he had to spend a night in Verde's condo... and Skull still regret it to this day.

Skull usually rise late. He woke up at 10 and ate Cheerios for breakfast. After that he will check his scheduler and then lived with it until he go back to sleep again.

But when he was at Verde's, he was woken up with a sound of explosion _in front of his face_. The green-haired Chemistry student actually exposed him to a Lithium! Skull, even though he was the Wimpy Skull, also knew that it was dangerous to expose one's skin into Group I metals! Did Verde just tried to kill him?

"Hmm that's strange," the scientist-wannabe murmured. "I've heard of your 'abnormally strong body', but I didn't expect it to be this strong." He scribbled on a clipboard near the table.

Skull, who was restrained on a metallic operating table, can only say: "Holy shit, Verde! Are you trying to kill me?"

And somehow, a similar situation had happened in his life now.

Tsunayoshi Sawada, Reborn's genius nephew, was hovering on top of him, trying to pull out the helmet he slept with. "It's made of Lithium and yet you're fine? I want to examine it!" He said enthusiastically.

"Oh god, Tsuna, it's early..." Skull groaned. Honestly, do all scientist wake up in crack of dawn? "No it's not! I've made breakfast and I even use your fridge to store some of my chemicals. But you didn't wake up."

Skull immediately open his eyes and rushed into the kitchen.

True enough, heaps of carton milk, cans of calpico (it's a brand of soda milk, he fucking loves the original flavor), and three large boxes of Cheerios were lying on top of the table. He opened his fridge to see various vials and test tube within.

He groaned. "Tsuna! Don't just replace my fridge!" He whined. The Chemist looked nervous, but kept his gaze firm at Skull's eyes. "S-s-sorry... Skull-san..." He apologized.

Skull's eyes widened. Oh god. Reborn's nephew got upset at him! He will die now! Dammit, dammit, dammit what should he do? But he didn't want to lose his cool either! Arrrrgh what should he do?

"H-hey, it's not your fault! D-d-don't tell me on..." Awkward awkward awkward. Honestly, why the hell did he agree to this? They were both awkward! Tsuna filled his head so much of Chemistry crap that Skull never understand. There was a reason he took a major in physics instead of chemistry. And he graduated from it just barely! If Fon, Reborn (who single-handedly took three majors of physics, chemistry, and weaponry), and Luche didn't help him, he might still be repeating.

Tsuna looked at him, also panicking. "N-no! I won't tell you on! You did nothing wrong." He said with a sincere smile. Both purple and brown eyes flitted around the kitchen nervously.

After two minutes, Skull started. "U-umm... do you want breakfast, dame-Tsuna?" The stuntman asked carefully, trying to be the adult-in-charge. The brunet giggled before nodding to his offer.

Tsuna sat in front of the table while Skull took out two bowls. He passed it to the brunet and opened a new box of Cheerios from the table. Tsuna followed his exampe. When Skull opened a can of calpico and poured it down his cereal, the chemist raised an eyebrow.

"You drink soda in the morning?" The chemist asked. Skull only looked at Tsuna with narrowed eyes. "Well duh." He said as he dig in to his cereal. The Chemist looked at him in puzzled expression. "Its ingredients include water, nonfat dry milk and lactic acid. Won't your stomach get upset if you drink that in the morning?" The little brunet asked with a certain expression that Skull often saw on Verde's face. A sick fascination. Skull groaned.

Who knew that living with Reborn's nephew would be as restless as living with Verde?

* * *

_**Next:**_

_**Atomic Number 8: Oxygen**_

* * *

**That was thrilling! I got hooked to an Online Game so I've been neglecting this T_T**

**Review Reply:**

**Orcux - LOOOL I made some Harry Potter reference here. Like Skull's family name. Skull de Mort XDD**

**runwithanime - yes! Thanks for reviewing XD**

**Phantom Hitman 1412 - Yep, it was undoubtedly from Hunger Games. That book/movie is awesome!**

**Radiant World - Indeeeed! I was watching Harry Potter when I wrote that part XDD and I love your rant about the Sawadas, makes me feel accomplished in making the readers feel the dislike and disdain Tsuna has for them XD**

**Mischievously - Thank you very much XD**

**Ri-Ryn - Thank you!**

**ShinDragonX - AH YES I LOVE WRITING BRAVE TSUNA WHO SNAPS LIKE A NORMAL HUMAN XDDD**

**kittit24 - Oh they really aaaaare adorable XD**

**OrangeSkye2772 - Thank you!**

**xxYuunaxx - LOL I can totally agree with you. Reborn's the greatest hitman and uncle in the world indeed XD**

**Akahama Nera - OH YESSS ALL27 FOREVERRR!**

**Hibird666 - Omigod your review makes me feel so curious. And what? and what? XD**

**reije - Thank you! I'm always happy to spread the new couple love XD**

**Sylvia-san - I dunno about the other readers, but I _do _think that Skull is hot XD**

**Kichou - Hahaha they did, didn't they? Thanks!**

**Failing Wings - Thank you so much!**

**CH0C0CANDYZ - Yes, Skull is immortal so the danger for being exposed to Group I materials only feels like a prickling sensation to him XD**

**That is all~ please review~**


	5. Atomic No 8: Oxygen

_**Atomic Number 8: Oxygen.**_

* * *

"Good morning, Tenth!"

"Good morning, Gokudera-kun."

Tenth is in a good mood this morning, and so Gokudera turned to be in a good mood as well. It still seemed like a dream. Just a week before, Tenth would always be in a horrible mood every morning. He'll need a few hours alone in the lab before he can tune his crankiness into a tolerable level. Not that Gokudera care if Tenth is cranky or not, he'd still be with him in all times.

The silver-haired looked towards the chief-of-laboratory with a smile plastered on his face. And instead of questioning him with why he did it, the Tenth stared off into space and laughed by himself.

It made both he and Yamamoto ecstatic. The Tenth they knew before would never be able to laugh like that. They both perceived Tsunayoshi Sawada as a horrifyingly genius chemist who never laughed at anything besides his own invention, and it was so hard to get his attention. Tsuna Sawada had a low attention span and cared for nothing sans things that interest him. And he was rarely interested in anything else but chemistry.

Yamamoto had called him a boom-happy person, which in Gokudera's more academic view means that the Tenth actually looked happy only when he was dealing with elements or atoms that actually explode.

"What happened this time, Tenth?" It's a question both he and the baseball-freak asked him every day. Ever since Tenth moved with the professional stuntman by the name Skull de Mort, life for him had become much more interesting. And it inevitably become more interesting for Gokudera and Yamamoto as well.

The brunet didn't stop laughing for another minute, but by the time they reached the school gates, he calmed down and put on his normal expression. "I'm sorry," he apologized, still giggling. "But Skull-san was being too funny and I can't seem to shake the image off my mind." Gokudera paid no haste and asked what happened. He was actually a fan of Motocross, and the Man hated by the Grim Reaper was his idol. He even dragged Yamamoto to like it with him. Because, really, who could actually watch a Motocross show or competition and _not _be fucking amazed by it?

At first, it had disappointed him. The fact that the Skull de Mort he idolized was not a cool person he had expected him to be. By the Tenth's story, Skull de Mort was some sort of a wimp with a stable normality that didn't go along with the chemist's profound insanity and obsession towards chemistry. But as he heard the various chaos occurring in the de Mort household's mornings, he became more interested than ever.

Apparently, this time Skull-sama had fallen asleep on the couch because of a tiring day. The Tenth came out from his bedroom to drink a nice can of calpico before falling asleep (a habit he said he'd gotten from the stuntman, who drink calpico like a medicine) and noticed the man's leather suit was a bit charred. Gokudera immediately supplied him with the fact that Skull-sama had had a stunt where he had to jump in the fire loop with his bike, which the purple-haired man fondly called Oodako.

The Tenth smiled and continued his story. He told Gokudera that he was curious of the reason why he was charred and accidentally tripped until the alcohol he was holding got smeared to the charred suit. It did nothing, of course, and Skull-sama was a heavy-sleeper so the man didn't even stir when it happened. The Tenth then panicked and tried to wipe it. But Skull-sama suddenly woke up and it triggered the match on his back pocket, and ultimately, fire burst out in his bottom.

They both laughed merrily as they opened the laboratory's door. "Skull-sama really needs to keep off of fire when you are in his presence, Tenth. How many times have this happened?" He said with a laugh, and the Tenth grinned at him as he donned his lab-coat.

"Okay, let's work with glycerin today. Who knows we'll be able to create a liquefied version on TNT that explodes only with contact."

Okay, explosions again, today will be fun.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

Takeshi Yamamoto was a typical Japanese kid with a scholarship that sent him to Italy. And of course it was from baseball, a sport he'd dubbed as his life.

The spiky-haired boy was kind and outgoing. And he was proud of the fact that everyone liked him. Well, at least everyone now. Back in elementary, everyone liked him but Tsuna Sawada.

Really, that brunet kid was a constant anomaly in Yamamoto's peaceful and flowing days. Everything about him is weird, and everything about him intrigued Yamamoto.

While he and the others wore shorts and t-shirt to school since it was hot in Sicily, Tsuna came wearing the same thing, only with a white doctor-like jacket which extended to his ankle. Tsuna was short and small, and often books he carried with him were bigger than himself. He never talked to anyone and always has his nose buried in a thick encyclopedia. Does he like random trivia that much?

But Takeshi kept on observing him. It was interesting to see someone so different from himself and the crowd.

During the Parents-day, in which they had to bring their parents to see their activity in school, Tsuna will always be alone inside the science laboratory they used for science experiments. Takeshi didn't understand why, though. Even his father, who resided all the way in Milan and the head chef of the infamous Yama-Sushi, spared some time to come to their school in Sicily. Why would Tsuna's parents be absent?

He decided that it was better not to pry in case that it was sensitive. But then, he'll never get close to Tsuna. It was frustrating, but he could handle it. After all, the baseball club had been nothing but boring and free. He was needed constantly.

It was a certain accident that brought them together. Their school was threatened by some Mafiosi who said that they've planted bombs in the vicinity and they were on search of a certain person. The school would have to hand over this person in exchange of not bombing the whole place into oblivion.

And Tsunayoshi Sawada, who was at the same class as he was, abruptly got up from his seat and donned a goggle he took out from his bag. When the other kids and the teacher huddled together to calm each other, the brunet slipped out of the room. Takeshi, being the curious person he was, followed him.

"What are you doing?" It was the first sentence Tsuna ever said to him. It sounded wary if not hostile. Takeshi was a little bit startled. Nobody ever used that tone to him. He laughed. "No, I'm just curious! What are you going to do?" He had said as if he was talking about weather. Looking back, it was actually funny.

"I'm going to defuse the bombs, of course." The brunet said lightly, and so he went on. Takeshi followed him intently as he went to the all the ventilation systems across the school. "I thought so. They're bound to put these here." He said dejectedly, as if he was disappointed with the fact that the Mafiosi which attacked them had been too readable.

They continued on defusing the bombs in each floor until they reached the roof, where the black-suited Mafiosi were. They clapped their hands. "We knew you'd come, Tsunayoshi Sawada." They had said with a victorious tone. "Who knew that someone so little could the weapon-specialist of the Sparks Industries." Takeshi narrowed his eyes, clearly not understanding any word they've said.

"Can you people move? I have a bomb to defuse." Tsuna said with a bored tone. Takeshi, even with the little time he'd actually spend with Tsuna, knew that the brunet was more concerned by the bomb's defusing than the actual saving-the-school aspect. The way Tsuna looked really happy when he defused the previous bombs confirmed that.

"Hah! Just what can a snotty brat like yourself can do?" One of the mafia pointed his gun at Tsuna, who still looked calm. Even Takeshi, who was proud of the fact that he was easygoing, sweat dropped at this situation. How could he still be calm? The brunet searched the pocket of his lab-coats and brought out three little vials with a purple liquid in them. The three vials were closed, and the way Tsuna held it convinced Takeshi that something bad will happen the moment the liquids were released.

"Many things." Tsuna smirked. Takeshi could feel his heart fluttering. It was weird, but it sent an unexplainable excitement to his senses. He could feel his stomach soaring and his eyes flutter when he saw Tsuna's devilish smirk.

True to his words, he can do many things.

Three of the five present Mafiosi charged at them. Tsuna threw one of the vials to their gun, which exploded right in front of their faces. "WHAT?" The leader guy exclaimed. "Tch. It's still low-powered." Tsuna clicked his tongue and brought out another vial, this time a red one. "This is one contains a creation I'm very proud of." He said in a deadly manner. "If you guys don't set out now, I will throw it to your faces. Oh, for your information, I happen to be _really good _at darts."

The Mafiosi took their injured men and left in a hurry, shouting something about the last bomb. Takeshi then looked at the brunet in front of him with a newfound respect. Tsuna then unexpectedly grin at him and uncapped the red vial. He drank it and smiled. "It's kool-aid, do you want some?" He was so cunning. Takeshi laughed merrily.

But then a faint but noticeable noise of 'tick tock' chimed in his ears. "The last bomb is still here, isn't it…?" Takeshi asked with a gulp. Tsuna nodded. "I think it's that one." He pointed to a black box near the fence. They scooted nearer to the box and opened it. Takeshi thought that this would be as easy as running in the drizzle, but Tsuna's light gasp said otherwise. "N-no…" He stammered. His voice was shaking.

"What's up, Tsuna?" Takeshi asked nervously. "T-this is an old model… I-I-I don't know how to…" He let out a frustrated shriek. But then, Takeshi got a great idea. He lifted the black box and positioned himself as if he was the pitcher. "W-what are you doing…?" Tsuna asked him, clearly horrified. "If we can't defuse it, we can just let it explode in the sky, right?" He grinned.

He then ran along and threw the black box as high as he could. It could have been a homerun. He grinned proudly. He stood in front of the fence to see his work, and the bomb exploded in the sky.

The impact was so hard that even the fences started flying. Takeshi fell off his balance and almost fell off of the roof.

But Tsuna saved him. He shouted different kinds of chemical compounds that Takeshi didn't even know that they existed. He had said it like how people would curse. So he cursed with chemical compounds? That was so cute.

After approximately a hundred of different atoms and chemical compounds later, Takeshi was back on solid grounds. And they were both okay. Tsuna shouted at him. "JUST WHAT ON LAVOISIER'S NAME ARE YOU THINKING?" The brunet shouted hysterically. "YOU THINK YOU'RE LIKE OXYGEN AND YOU CAN BOND WITH ALMOST EVERYTHING INCLUDING THE GROUND? NO! HUMANS DON'T WORK THAT WAY AND WE'RE NOT OXYGEN! THERE'S A REASON WE TAKE OXYGEN FROM THE NATURE AND EXPEL IT AS CARBONDIOXIDE INSTEAD!"

Takeshi was stunned. The brunet was angry, but the language he was using wasn't even Japanese or Italian anymore. It was all chemistry talk and he knew nothing about it. He look straight towards the brunet, still stunned…

But then eventually laughed. That was how they've become the best of friends.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

He could hear bells tolling across the school along with an announcement in Italian. Middle school students ran around the court, either to go home or to play some more. Natsu walked proudly besides his father, who came to Onii's school for some business.

He immediately asked his father to ask where the lab- a place Onii would definitely be- was and immediately head there.

Natsu opened the door to what was said as the lab of Sicily Public Middle School, he cocked his head inside and chimed. "Onii?" He asked, his deep voice echoed along the room. _"Chi?" _A familiar voice chimed in Italian. But, before he can say who he is, a test tube flew to his direction. "Ah," before Natsu can blink a tall teen caught the test tube. _"Che era un po pericoloso, non? Haha~ Tsuna~" _

_"Questo è un nitroglycerin, giusto?" _A silver-haired teen joined them and took the test tube and examined it. Natsu looked at the teenagers and thought they were gorgeous. _"Si," _Onii replied, sounding completely uninterested. The black-haired tall teen looked at Natsu with his clear brown eyes, he then grinned and looked towards Onii. _"__Pensavo che Nei tuo fratello!" _The silver-haired teen exclaimed as he entered the lab. _"Lui è..." _Onii sighed.

_"Egli guarda confuso. Non mi dica egli non può parlare in Italiano..." _ The silver-haired sighed as he looked at him judgementally. "Uhm, Tsuna's brother...?" The black-haired one said with perfect Japanese. "You should knock before entering, you know? Tsuna isn't really tolerant to anyone who intruded him." He said as he grinned.

"Strange, you're Tenth's brother and you can't speak _Italiano_?" The silver-haired actually bent down and frowned at him.

"Stop it, Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto." Onii looked up from the chemistry set in front of him from the first time. "Natsu, what are you doing here? You can't even speak Italian and yet you're in a public school?" The littler brunet looked at him disapprovingly. Natsu was stunned. He'd never seen his brother with a complete chemistry set before. The sight of Tsuna and books were ordinary, but a chemistry set was a rarity.

"And for your information," Onii said as he walked closer towards the door and asked the tall teen to hand him the test tube he previously threw. He dangled it in front of Natsu's face. "This is a nitroglycerine. Do you know what that is?" It was familiar, it really was, but Natsu couldn't remember about it. Onii sighed. "It's a core ingredient for dynamites, you should be grateful that Yamamoto was there for you, Natsu, if not I would have blown your face up."

Natsu shuddered. Onii sounded so cold and uncaring, it was as if he didn't care about him. He didn't care that they were family. "O-Onii… Please come home."He muttered quietly. "It's frustrating without you there. Mom is worried and Dad is rarely ever home. Please…" He sounded like he was begging, but he didn't care.

Onii scoffed. "Mom is worried because you are worried. Not because of me." He said maliciously. "And Dad is rarely ever home because he needed to explain to both CEDEF and Vongola that _I_, their nuclear specialist, have left the house. I don't intend to back down from the nuclear project, but since Dad lost the ability to monitor me, he didn't have any reason to be home as often as he'd been for the last three years." Three years ago was the year he'd shown his father the nuclear sketches. He sighed. He should have given it to Verde instead.

"But, Onii!"

"Please leave, Natsu. I'm not in the mood for this." As if on cue, both Gokudera and Yamamoto asked him to leave with them. And outside the laboratory, a blond man stood still. "Do you really think that lowly of us, Tsuna…?" His father whispered, his voice was hurt. Natsu widened his eyes, he'd never heard that tone from his father before.

Onii turned to face their father with a seemingly cold and apathetic stare. "Yes, I do." But he also sounded like he was hurt. The silver-haired teen ran to his side immediately. "Tenth! Are you okay? It's fine, okay? I'll phone Skull-sama and ask him to pick you up." He said soothingly. The raven-haired teen, Yamamoto, stared at them coldly before showing them a very fake grin. "I think it's time for you guys to leave."

Iemitsu took his hand and grasped it in his own before closing the lab's door.

They both walk away in silence before they can hear a soft cry echoing along the empty corridors. "Dad?" He asked, trying to make his father feel better.

"Oh Nana, dear sweet Nana, where have we gone wrong with that child…"

Natsu then frowned and grasped his father's hand tighter.

* * *

_**Next:**_

_**Second Stunt: Vongola Famiglia.**_

* * *

**It. Was. Laaaaaaate!**

**I know! But I have year-end exam and yadda yadda. Many things to do SO LITTLE TIME! T_T**

**ADDED: THE ITALIAN TRANCE! (sorry I forgot them ,) THANK YOU CRYSTAL LILAC!**

_Chi? _- Who?

_Che era un po pericoloso, non? Haha~ Tsuna~ _- That was a little dangerous, no? Haha~ Tsuna~

_Questo è un nitroglycerine, giusto? _- This is a nitroglycerin, right?

_Si - _Yes.

_Pensavo che Nei tuo fratello! _- I thought that's your brother!

_Lui è... _- He is...

_Egli guarda confuso. Non mi dica egli non può parlare in Italiano... - _He looks confused. Do not tell me he can not speak Italian ...

**Review reply:**

**SelfcreatedCharacter - Oh it was intentional. Because I didn't want to put the Oodako part again since there wasn't a need to know Skull's POV there XD**

**Orcux - LOOOL I had meant it as a pun from ever since I don't even know the title for this story is. Like I've read somewhere that Voldy's name meant return from death, I think it'll be badass if Skull, the man who's hated by the grim reaper, have the same name.**

**Phantom Hitman 1412 - Ooooh! CCS' Kero never crossed my mind, that was why your review was kinda confusing at first, but then I remember HOLY DERP IT'S CERBERUS - KEROBEROS -,- And thanks for the repeating line one. *fixed them* and also the Potassium Manganate, of course I'll insert it! Just wait until the next time he swears XD**

**Princhy - Thank you! And yes Skull27 is a very cute couple to write about. It can get a little bit frustrating since Skull got so little attention in Anime though T_T XD**

**Kichou - Thanks and enjoy this chapter!**

**Narutopokefan - it's also a relieve for me to write that part. I was all like: YEAY FINALLYYYY! XDD**

**Akahama Nera - Moar Skull27 later since now is about introductions and plotsssss XDD**

**xXxOtAkU-444xXx - *o***

**CH0C0CANDYZ - Oh My God. Your review confuses me XD I didn't know what to say so I kept on rewriting this response XD I don't know how to respond… just forgive my stupidity T_T and I'll delve on Skull's poisonous helmet later. note: it has something to do with Viper *winks* *winks***

**Radiant World - A princely Skull is something I really wanted to see instead of the wimp we all know XD He treated Tsuna's parents like that because he was also reminded of his own family. And because he didn't have anyone to save him from his family, he's doing his best to save Tsuna from the feeling of being unwanted XD**

**Soul Vrazy - Teheheeee**

**kyothefallenkit - Exciting indeed! I would have wanted to have Verde strapping me up in his lab or something XDD**

**That's Riku - Indeed**

**yoru-anime-yume - Thanks! I hope you enjoy this chapter though there isn't much of Skull here XD**

**dreamy-silhouettes - I'm sorryyy, I'm not an English speaker so grammar isn't really in my area T_T but thanks for being hooked up! I hope you'll be even more hooked!**

**Well, that is all! Please review XD**


	6. Second Stunt: Vongola Famiglia

_**Second Stunt: Vongola Famiglia.**_

* * *

"Good afternoon, Skull-san!"

"Afternoon, Aria," Skull smiled at the little girl. "And hey, what's up with the Japanese honorific?" He asked at the sparkling four-year-old girl. "Tsuna's been teaching her Japanese honorific and she's been using them loosely." Another voice chimed from behind the counter. "Welcome back, Skull." Luce smiled at him.

Welcome back, always the greeting Luce use when greeting members of Arcobaleno to her bar.

Skull grabbed Aria by her waist and put her on his shoulders, making her merry with laughter. "Now, now, Aria. Do you not want to join Gamma in his shopping?" Luce said as she took out a bottle of ginger ale. "I want to! I want to!" Aria squabbled. Luce took her from Skull's shoulder and bumped her nose with Aria's own. "Then go. He's waiting." She said kindly.

Aria giggled and kissed Luce's cheek, directly on the Giglio Nero tattoo under her eye. The little girl ran towards the exit, shouting Gamma's name.

Skull slouched lazily on the counter as he took a purple-colored glass and asked Luce to fill him in. "That's a different suit than the one you wore yesterday," Luce said as she poured the lukewarm ginger ale to his glass. "What happened this time?" She giggled. Skull took a deep breath and blurted the whole story in only a few minutes.

"He has as much curiosity as a cat with nine lives!" Skull droned on as he gulped down his first glass and asked Luce for more. "But I don't see you regretting over the fact that you took him in." Luce said gently. Skull hiccupped. "Well, that's true…" He said as he put his head on top of the counter and stared through the purple glass.

"It's actually interesting, having him around I mean. At least I don't wake up strapped on a metal table." Luce giggled, apparently because he'd said it with such a serious tone. "Luce, there was only one time, _one time _in my life that I actually spent the night in Verde's condo. And here I am, clearly traumatized by the whole prospect of having the same kind of thing happen again. And living with Tsuna is like living with a person who was a mix of Reborn and Verde. It's frustrating, but interesting at the same time." He whined, and Luce patted his hair with a smile on her face. "Not only that he replaced my fridge with test tubes, he also moved all of my calpico to the freezer. Gahhh, where is Reborn when you need him!"

Luce chuckled. "Oh come on, Skull, if you whine this much, there must be something that kept you from abandoning Reborn's order, right? What is it?" The owner of Giglio Nero bar said with a kind voice that soothed even the most annoying baby in the world.

The stuntman stopped dead in his tracks and frowned, holding his purple glass tightly. "He… is like me." Skull whispered, something he rarely did. "He's like me, he's unwanted." Skull sighed and frowned. "I don't want him to feel the same thing as I did. It took me years to go out from those people who called themselves my family, but I don't want that to happen with Tsuna."

"Ah, speaking of family, your father called me a few days ago. He's worried about you."

Skull looked up from his glass and looked towards Luce incredulously. "You're kidding me, right?" He said with a raised eyebrow. The chain that linked the piercing on his lips and ear dangled as his lips trembled. _Why the hell is he calling now? _"Skull, I'm sorry but no matter what you say, he's still your family." Luce said in a defeated expression.

Skull sighed, this rarely happened. Luce is lovely and understanding, but this time, she didn't quite get what he had meant.

"Well, you know that I'm the hottest topic around right now." Skull said as he fiddled with his fingers. "That sounds so ordinary coming out from you," Luce giggled. Skull's cheeks turned into a light shade of pink and his ears went red. "T-t-this time is different, Lu!" He said as he gulped down his ginger ale in embarrassment. "I meant the fact that he's calling when I'm as famous as I am now! When he clearly didn't know how much I had to suffer by not having a family!" He slammed the purple glass to the counter, breaking it to hundreds of little pieces.

"A-a-ah! Luce I'm soooorrry!" He whined as he plead for forgiveness to the woman in front of him. Luce was smiling wider than usual, she's clearly pissed, isn't she…?

But then, she sighed. "I understand, Skull," She petted Skull's purple hair before taking the glass pieces off the counter. "And I'm not mad because you broke the glass, I'm more angry by the fact that you said you had no family…" Her voice was hurt. And Skull knew if any of the other Arcobaleno were here, they'll probably skin him alive for making Luce sad. "L-L-Lu… I'm really sorry…" Skull nearly cried.

Luce discarded all of the broken pieces and took out a purple-colored cup. She put a sachet of powder into the cup and pour a lukewarm water to the cup. She smiled kindly and put it in front of Skull. "Aren't we your family?" She leaned to the counter. "For you, who has no family, don't you think of us as one?" She grinned lovingly.

Skull was stunned.

He knew, he knew better than anyone. If Viper hadn't introduce him to his Luce and her friends, he knew that he'd never leave his family. He'll still live under the constant pressure and always feel unwanted.

"Hmm us as family, eh? I pretty much figure out how things should have been." She laughed, Skull instantly felt relief. The others won't skin him alive…

"You and Fon would be the parents, that's for sure." Skull said with a grin. "By the way, what's this?" He pointed to the cup in front of him. "That's milk tea. Viper came with it a few days ago, it has an unbelievable scent and taste. Even Lal likes it." Skull narrowed his eyes curiously and gulped it down. It really was good.

"And I guess Verde would be our first son," Luce giggled as she took out another cup, this time an orange one. "I mean, he's actually older than Fon and I, but I can never imagine him as a parent." Skull shuddered. "His children will probably wake up strapped on a metal table…" Luce giggled. "Our second son would be Reborn, I guess. He'll tease Verde a lot, but is still able to reprimand the others." Luce nodded at her own evaluation. "Well, more like he'll tease Verde _and _the others a lot." Skull shook his head.

"Our third child would be Lal. I mean, who else can put Reborn and Verde at their rightful place? She's the stiff and responsible oldest daughter." Skull laughed at that. "And Colonnello is a year younger than her, because I can't imagine Colonnello being older than Lal." They both laughed merrily and continued. "Well, I guess that left Viper and then you."

"Hey, why am I younger than Viper!" He pouted, but Luce giggled at his antic. "Because Viper is much more mature than you are. Well, more mature in all aspects but economical though. That guy is really stingy." Skull nodded. Viper took the word 'stingy' to a whole new level. He even refused to buy himself breakfast and dinner, saying that a meal a day is enough for humans and the others are wasting too much money. Even Skull didn't understand his best friend fully.

When Luce and he were laughing, the door opened quietly. They both instantly looked towards the door. "Aria, Gamma, is that you?" Luce chimed. Nobody came to Giglio Nero bar during the day except for Aria, Gamma, Luce, and the members of Arcobaleno. "Hmm, are you serving free drinks, Luce?" A quiet yet serene voice that they knew said lazily. Viper closed the door and sat beside Skull. He put his arms on the counter and put his head on top of them.

"Ah, welcome back, Viper." Luce chimed. "Free or not, you're still not going to pay after all. I'll make a milk tea for you." She opened another sachet. "Hmmm can't I get a silver bullet instead?" Viper asked. "No liquor in the afternoon, Viper." Luce smiled threateningly, Viper receded.

"So you're not busy today, Viper?" Skull asked as he poured himself another glass of ginger ale. "I am, but my job actually asked me to be here…" The illusionist then sat straight and peered at Skull, staring him from head to toe. Or at least, he thought so, Viper's eyes weren't visible after all. "Oh? What would the Varia want with my bar, may I ask?" Luce joined them and put the indigo-colored cup in front of Viper.

"Not with your bar, Luce. Every mafiosi knew that every place that has Giglio Nero mark is a neutral territory." Viper sighed. He took the cup and drank a quarter of the tea. "I'm here for Skull, or more precisely, his charge." Skull tensed. "They're looking for him." His charge? _His charge? ! _The mafia knew the _he, _the immortal stuntman, _has a charge? _That wasn't good. That was horrible!

"The Vongola had announced that Tsunayoshi Sawada has gone MIA from the head of CEDEF's observation. We, the Varia, were asked to find and capture him." Skull was now trembling. He knew that it wasn't a good idea! Stupid Reborn! He shouldn't have bothered with this. He should've thought about it more! Tsunayoshi Sawada is someone who is deep within the mafia. As a nuclear specialist of the biggest weaponry company in the world (and not to mention the Famiglia who ran that company), _of course _he was protected. That was bad.

"Viper…" Luce whispered. Skull was sweating like crazy. "Right now, I'm warning you, Skull. You need to protect him. The reward of capturing him is tempting, but, his Mammon's Misty Illusion worth even more. That's why I've withdrawn from the bounty." Viper swallowed the rest of his milk tea. "Our friends may turn enemies. With one hundred million euro on his head, your lives aren't going to be so easy."

"Vongola? Vongola is where Reborn works, right? What about Lal? Isn't she a member of CEDEF?" Skull's voice was shaking so hard. Luce narrowed her eyes in pity and put her hand on top of his shoulder. Viper turned away. "That's why I'm telling you this, Skull." With that, he left.

"Luce… what should I do…?" Skull was trembling. He wasn't a part of mafia, sans that time when he joined the Calcassa ranks for fun, though Vongola usurped the Famiglia just before he was about to sign the Omerta. He's only good at doing stunts, nothing more! He looked towards Luce in fear. "Skull, I'll be here for you, and I assume Viper is too. We'll help you take care of him." Luce comforted the trembling stuntman.

"Don't be such a wimp, Skull." The back door opened, revealing a disheveled scientist. "Verde, you're awake! I'll prepare some coffee for you." Luce scampered to the kitchen. "V-Verde…" Skull scooted away from the scientist. He smelled like alcohol, almost like how Tsunayoshi smelled. Only Verde's scent was harsh and strong, while Tsuna's scent made him feel warm and fuzzy.

"That boy belongs to the Sparks Industry. You're not going to protect him alone." Verde said as he opened his laptop. "Isn't this interesting though. Vongola and CEDEF are giving one hundred million euro for any mafiosi that can capture him. Millefiore Industries contacted me, saying that they wanted to have an alliance. This is very interesting." Whoa, even when drunk Verde's brain ran in a different waves than himself.

"What role do I have in all of this? I'm just a stuntman!" Skull whined. "Do you think Reborn would have trusted you to with his dearest nephew if he didn't think you have a potential?" Verde said as he opened his laptop. Luce joined them and put a cup of coffee in front of Verde. "Verde's right, Skull. Reborn trusted you. He probably can't take care of Tsuna himself because of this." Skull gulped. Reborn… is trusting him.

"Well, a lackey will always be a lackey though." Another voice chimed in. "Ah! Colonnello! Welcome back!" Skull groaned. "Hey, hey, hey! How come many of you came here? I thought that you guys are busy!" Colonnello smacked Skull on top of his head. "Shut up, your voice is annoying! Lu, I'll have a sports drink!" Luce opened one of the counter and tossed him a green sports drink.

"Why are you here, Colonnello?" Luce asked. "You guys gotta listen to this! Especially you, Skull. The COMSUBIN has allied itself with CEDEF in attempts to capture Vongola's nuclear specialist!" Colonnello exclaimed, and it sent more fear down to Skull's stomach. "What are you going to do then?" Verde asked, curiosity apparent in his voice. "I intended to withdraw, but I was made the leader of the project so I intend to mislead my team in any aspects. I dunno about Lal though. She's directly under Iemitsu, so I guess it's going to be hard to mislead things like I do."

Skull looked towards Luce in hopes that she will do something. "What are we going to do, Luce?" Verde asked without taking his eyes off his laptop. "Skull, Viper, Fon and I have no standings in this. Since Viper have forfeited his mission, right? I got an email from my friend who works with the Varia…" He took a sip of his coffee. "And by the way, do you still have all those predicting jobs, Lady Giglio Nero?" Verde asked. Luce furrowed her eyebrows.

"My shamanic powers went cloudy when I was pregnant with my dear Aria, but when it returned, it wasn't clear as it was before. Hmm… I think it's better if we let them know that we still exist, the Arcobaleno mercenary." Almost all members in the room smiled. There were times when everyone, both mafia and cops, acknowledge that _they _are the strongest syndicate ever. "Hey! If we're going to act as the Ar-Mer (A/N: Short for Arcobaleno Mercenary), I'm going to prioritize us first. Just give me orders when you see fit, Luce."

"Are you serious?" Skull asked. He was happy, but clearly confused. Why would Luce do something as drastic as reactivating their old mercenary? "Tsuna is a good child. And I don't want him to feel like he's unwanted. Ever again." The whole room went silent when Luce sounded steely. It was weird and frightening at the same time.

"I'll inform Fon about this, and also… I think I'm going to call my husband." Everyone in the room dropped their jaw. Even Verde, who took his eyes off his laptop. "L-L-Lu… you have a husband?" Skull stammered. Luce laughed. "Oh, did I never tell you? He and I got married in secret because his position is too dangerous. After I graduate from college, we immediately got married in Russia, his base of operation." Luce looked amused at their expressions.

"Oh c'mon, don't you guys remember that time when I went to Russia and returned two years after with Aria in my hands?" That hit a nerve in everyone's heart. "B-but what about you and Fon?" Skull pressed for more. And he knew from the fact nobody stopped him, that they also wanted to know. "Ah, Fon and I were in a relationship. And if you're talking about Tsuna's birthday party a few years ago, he was drunk so…"

Nobody moved. It was true that they knew Luce and Fon were in a relationship. But whether or not they've broken up and after, they didn't know. And Luce's marriage was a surprise to almost all of them. Luce walked to the phone on the very corner of the counter. And when she took the handle, Colonnello asked. "Hey Luce, who's your husband?" Luce giggled.

She dialed a number, and as she waited for it to dial, she whispered. "Hello, Bermuda dear?"

They all went numb. _Now _they understand the reason why the name Giglio Nero was hammered to the head of every mafiosi in the world as the 'untouchable'. Because the head, Lady Luce Giglio Nero, was the legendary rumored spouse of Bermuda von Vichtenstein, the owner of Vindice prison.

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

_"Hello? Is this S-Skull de Mort-sama?"_

"Yes, I'm the great Skull de Mort you meant. Why?"

_"The Tenth, I-I mean Tsunayoshi Sawada is feeling unwell. Think you can come and pick him up?"_

_"Gokudera-kun! It's u-unnecessary!"_

_"But Tenth-"_

_"Give it here, Gokudera. Haha."_

_"I'm Takeshi Yamamoto. Tsuna's a bit sick. Can you pick him up? Or maybe we can take him home with us if you want."_

Skull stopped to think. Tsuna is sick, and he will pick him up using Oodako. Isn't that going to make him more sick? The best choice was for him to let his friends take Tsuna home. But… he's too afraid of the possibility of kidnapping. The stuntman sighed. "I'll pick him up. Sorry to trouble you guys when it's already late." Skull apologized, but the teenager over the line laughed.

_"No! Being with Tsuna is fun, after all." _Skull 'hmm'-ed in approval as he hung up. He put his helmet on his head and pocketed his cell phone. "Oodako, let's go hi-speed, yea? 'cause we need to carry a sick patient with us." He started the bike and shouted. "YAHOO!"

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

It take fifteen minutes to get to Sicily Public Middle School from Luce's bar, but with Skull and Oodako in charge, it only took four and half minutes in crazy speed. He'd arrived splendidly in front of two teenagers, and Tsuna was with them. "Yo, dame-Tsuna, ready to go home?" He asked with a grin underneath his green glass. Ahh~ his helmet is really awesome.

Unexpectedly, Tsuna staggered forward and hugged him in on his waist. And if it weren't for Skull's left foot, Oodako would have fallen to the ground. "S-S-Skull-san!" He said, trembling. Skull wondered why though. _He _was the one who needed to tremble here. "Did something happen?" He asked to the teenagers behind Tsuna.

"Well, he got a visit from his family." The silver-haired boy spoke, and the black-haired boy nodded. Skull gulped. He knew that feeling. Right after he went away from his house, he became famous from one of the stunts he did. His father came to him, claiming him to be the best son ever.

He slammed the door at his father's face, puked, and then cried himself to sleep.

That was why he understood what Tsuna felt now. The horrid feeling of 'now you want me? !' had haunted him that day like how it haunted Tsuna today. Skull took a deep breath, trying to calm his nervous heart. It was amazing that he didn't bolt away from here, from a teenager that needed him, needed his comfort.

"Tsuna…" Skull whispered, and it echoed in his helmet. "I got you, it's okay, you're with me now." The consequences of these words are big, he knew, but he couldn't resist saying it to the trembling brunet. He was agreeing to defy Vongola, he was tying himself even deeper to the target of the whole mafia, but he can't stop it. Skull took off his helmet and whispered soothingly. "It's okay. Let's go home." Home. _Their _home.

When Tsuna looked up to him, he did something unthinkable. He kissed the boy's forehead like how Medea did whenever he bruised himself. The feeling of the brunet's warm forehead against the chain on his lips were a little strange, but Skull didn't care. All he cared about was to comfort his child-self, to comfort the brunet in front of him.

When Skull realized what he had just done, he recoiled almost immediately. What the hell was he thinking? Kissing _Reborn's _nephew? Is he nuts? Sweat formed on his face and he immediately reached for his helmet, but before he could put it on, Tsuna stopped him.

The chemist looked flustered. His face was really red and it turned a little warmer than before. Skull looked at the brunet confusedly. "Tsuna?" He asked. "I-I-I need my helmet." He stammered. The brunet smiled a loving smile towards him, and it blew him away. He'd never seen Tsuna smile before… and much less receiving a light peck on the cheek from him.

"T-t-t-thank you." He said awkwardly. Oh my god. What to do. He lost his trains of thought. "L-let's go home…" Tsuna suggested as Skull took his helmet from the rear-mirror and put it on.

As green-glass tinted his view again, he calmed himself and asked. "Did you feel better?" He turned to face the brunet, who'd already on the backseat, hugging his waist tight. "Uhn!" Tsuna nodded.

They both waved to the two teenagers who were standing in front of the school and went with Oodako in full speed.

The hell with Vongola, the hell with all the Maelstrom that'll follow him. He wanted to protect this Chemist from what he had to suffer all those years ago, even with his dying will.

* * *

_**Atomic Number 2: Helium**_

_"Nice to meet you!"_

_"W-w-who are you?"_

_"I'm Giotto, but you can call me Helium if you want."_

* * *

**Yeaaay not as late! I just had to insert the last convo! XD**

**Review reply:**

**OrangeSkye2772 - Thank you!**

**Sylvia-san - Really? Oh my god I'm so flattered! I've read many neglected Tsuna as well, and every single one of them is really good! I was having an inferiority complex when this review arrive and brighten up my day!**

**Narutopokefan - lol I'm so glad that I manage to make you that hostile towards the Sawadas, it's amusing XD**

**That's Riku - lololol by far this review cracks me up the best. I fucking love writing it too!**

**Kichou - Well, you're bound to care about someone who rescued you in life-or-death situation, right? XD**

**Akahama Nera - Thank you~~ :***

**R3iga1004 - Oh yesyesyes! Arcobaleno taking care of Tsuna is always my personal favorite! And with Skull too XD**

**Crystal Lilac - Added already, oh my god thank you very much!**

**CH0C0CANDYZ - Well, that teacher of yours sure is one amazing person to make you recite all of that XD**

**Well, that is all~ please review~**


	7. Atomic No 2: Helium

_**Atomic Number 2: Helium**_

* * *

"_U-uh, Tsuna, I need to do some stunts until late at night. So I might need to leave you alone. I'm really, __**really **__sorry. So here's some money and spend it in any way you like. If I still haven't contact you until after school, go to Luce's bar. __**Don't, I repeat, don't go home alone!**__"_

The Chief Professor of Sicilia Scuola Pubblica Laboratory entered the Lab with a slight chuckle. "Skull-san is really cute." He murmured to himself. "Good morning," Someone called, startling the brunet. "What happened today, Tenth?_"_ Tsuna smiled and then told his best friend the whole story.

The silver head grinned upon hearing the story. He never saw Skull de Mort's wimpy side, but it was always amusing to hear it from the Tenth.

"What are we going to do today, Chief Professor?" Gokudera-kun asked as he took out the chemistry kit. "We're making Mammon's Misty Illusion today. Tell Yamamoto that we're not going to be in class the whole day." Tsuna took his goggle and began working.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

"Good morning, Iemitsu."

"Good morning… boss."

Iemitsu hated going to Vongola so much. He always asked Oregano, or Turmeric, or Basil to do it for him. Sure, he loved Vongola more than his own life. But he always hated their CEO.

Giotto Vongola.

The man was dangerous. Very dangerous.

Iemitsu disliked the man's seemingly calm aura and the sunset-stare that looked very much like his cute son's own. Because, unlike dear Natsuhiko who always had that certain pride and mischievousness glint on such beautiful sunset eyes, Giotto's sunset always looked like it was calm and tranquil, yet sickeningly secretive. It was like he was planning something behind Iemitsu's back.

"I was under the impression that I get to see my dear CEDEF's nuclear chemist today. But," he narrowed his eyes, and Iemitsu shuddered. "I do not see him. How is that?" Iemitsu's eyes flitted elsewhere. He looked unreasonably guilty. The half-Italian had a good mastery over his expressions, but his face contorted into a distressed frown almost immediately.

"You don't need to worry at all, Boss." Iemitsu tread carefully. "I'm sending Basil and Oregano to get him. We know where he is." Giotto leaned to his leather chair and sighed. "I am quite confident with both of them, Iemitsu. But… I should set out myself-"

"NO!" Iemitsu roared. The other blond looked amused. "Why not?" The other asked calmly, _deviously_. Iemitsu got tongue-tied. Why indeed? Giotto could probably talk Tsuna out. After all, _his _and _Nana's _neglecting brought this to them. Why had he involved Tsuna in his work? Why? He spent almost all of his life to spare Natsu from the cruel workings of Vongola and CEDEF, namely the mafia part. Why hadn't he done the same with Tsuna?

"Are you going to pull the father stunt again, Iemitsu? Now that he had left your side, do you think that it is possible?" Giotto said innocently. "N-no…" Iemitsu stammered. He hated this. He hated the fact that Giotto actually pressed him with this tactic, the one that involved _not _saying but _heavily _hinting the fact that he had lost his right as Tsuna's father.

"Master! We lost contact with Basil and Oregano!"

"Ah, it seems that there is some trouble with your department. Please go, Iemitsu." Giotto said, still as pleasant as he was before. Tranquility was something that the head of Vongola was famous for, but Iemitsu knew better.

He left the room immediately. After all, who wants to spend another minute with someone as slippery as Giotto Vongola?

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

"I... don't like this, Oregano-dono. We're attacking the Master's son." A young man in his fifteen years of age named Basil said in distraught. His eyes were fixed on the person inside the room they thought as the laboratory.

"Well, Basil, it's a job." The petite woman behind him sighed.

They both took a deep breath and nodded towards each other. Basil ambushed the window, breaking the glass and Oregano jumped inside precisely two seconds after the impact, pointing her gun to their target. "Freeze, Tsunayoshi Sawada!" She said to the brunet.

But the brunet paid them no attention. His eyes were transfixed on a vial he had been working at for hours.

Basil almost smiled. This job would be easy then. This person had a strange aura that reminded him of Master's serenity. But, when he was about to step forward, he heard Oregano shriek. "Oregano-dono!" Basil shouted.

But it seemed that he couldn't move about either. A dangerous looking red liquid within a suspicious container that was shaped like dynamite rested firmly on Oregano's neck while a long silver-bladed katana rested on his neck. "Lay hands on the Tenth Chief Professor of the Lab, and I will inject this to your veins." The silver-haired teen said threateningly.

"We told _thousands_ of people, and even people from Disciplinary Committee already. The Lab is a restricted territory to _all_ parties except for Lab members and authorized personnel. Intruders can lose their heads, you know?" The raven-haired teen said cheerfully. But he didn't loosen his grip on his katana. Basil thought that he actually meant the 'lose their head' part _literally._

"Unhand them, Yamamoto, Gokudera-kun." The brunet said sternly, but his eyes were still on the strangely indigo-colored liquid inside the beaker. "We will attract D.C's leader if we make too much noise. He'll think that we're crowding." Both teenagers looked towards the brunet, who shook the beaker slightly.

"Ah, Gokudera-kun! That's the smokin' bomb-solution! Careful not to get the vials break or shake too hard, they explode upon contact with foreign substances or when they foamed, after all." Tsunayoshi Sawada smiled sweetly.

Both men released them and went to the Chief Professor's side with a smile. They hid their weapons, but still eyed both Oregano and Basil with suspicion.

"As for you two," his voice sounded so cold, different from how he addressed his friends earlier. Basil shuddered at how fast the serenity that reminded him of the Master's own got replaced with sheer coldness. "Do you know what this baby is?" He said as he showed them the indigo-colored solution. None of them moved.

"This is Mammon's Misty Illusion in its liquefied state. I've been working on this solution for hours. And do you know that I only need to boil it to make its gas-form?" Again, none of them moved. "And do you know that you coming here alarmed the D.C and I had to explain what just happened to them instead of making my solution?" The nuclear specialist walked closer to both of them with a calculating expression. "Do you think that I don't know who you guys are working for?"

The brunet's friends were instantly on guard again as Tsuna was in the proximity of Basil's steel boomerang and Oregano's gun. "Ah, perfect timing. Why don't you guys assist me in an experiment?" Tsuna's face brightened almost immediately. "Gokudera-kun! Please give me two test tubes!" The silver-haired teen took two test tubes from the table and gave it to the Chief Professor, but he didn't back off again. In the contrary, he looked at his taller friend and gestured him to join them.

Tsuna divided the liquid within the beaker into two test tubes and shook them slightly. "Hayato-kun, Takeshi," The brunet said in the warm voice again. "Please make them drink these, okay? It seems that Hibari-san has come to visit us. I have to deal with him for a bit." He handed the vials to his friends, who looked towards each other with confusion on their faces.

"If that's what Tsuna says, then~" Basil heard the tallest teen said.

"As you wish, Tenth!" Basil heard the silver-head said.

They both cupped their cheeks and forced their mouths to open, and eventually shove the substance down to Basil's and Oregano's throat with no hesitation.

At first, nothing happened. But when the tall teen waved them a cheerful goodbye, Basil _screamed._

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

"We're under attack!" Lal said as she barged into his superior's office bravely. "They had Basil and Oregano too, Iemitsu, it's your son." It pained her to speak of the younger Sawada like this, especially when she liked the little one so much. "Where are they?" Iemitsu wasted no time to stand up and stride over her, she followed him. "The front entrance. Four people are accompanying him." Still, liked him or not, Lal was impressed at him for charging through front doors.

The tallest of his bodyguards was holding an authentic Japanese katana as he dragged both Basil and Oregano, who were screaming their guts out.

Lal wasted no time to run to Iemitsu's room, making her report. After all, all those training in COMSUBIN did construct her to be what she is now, agile and quick-thinking. They eventually reached the lobby, who were packed with many of Vongola and CEDEF members alike, peering curiously at five teenagers who wore identical lab coats.

"Ah, President." The leader, a small and utterly familiar brunet greeted them. Lal could see how Iemitsu almost flinch at it. "I came to deliver your people." Tsunayoshi Sawada cocked his head to the tallest amongst his members, who threw both Basil and Oregano, who were still screaming. "They had been thoroughly disciplined by the Disciplinary Committee of Sicila Scuola Pubblica after drinking the infamous Mammon's Misty Illusion. They have been screaming ever since."

Lal ran to them immediately, checking for any external injuries. When she found none, she looked at the intruders calmly, analyzing them. She knew that Sawada won't attack her as much as she won't attack him. She was a member of Ar-Mer, after all, and Luce won't be pleased to see her Aria's beloved 'Onii-san' hurt at all.

There were five of them, Sawada, a tall teen with katana, a silver head with dynamite-looking syringe, a white-haired teen with bandaged fists, and a purple-haired girl with a long hair that covered her eye. All of them wore lab coats with 'Sicilia Scuola Pubblica' insignia, a black eagle that carried a silver ribbon with '_Acquirit qui tuetur'_ written on it, on their breast pockets.

Iemitsu approached them, and in an instant, a silver staff, a katana, fists, and syringe greeted his neck. "If you harm the Chief Professor… we will not show any mercy…" The purple-haired girl said quietly. The other CEDEF members gasped. It happened so fast. "Yeah, Sawada is a special student in our school. It's the student council's EXTREME duty to protect him." The white-haired boy said with quite a loud voice.

"Chrome, Ryohei-senpai, Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto, stop it. I want to talk with this man face to face." The brunet said lazily, they all removed their weapons from the man's neck. "I am quite disappointed by the fact that you sent an action member to my Laboratory, sir." Sawada said to his father with a perfectly calm and level voice. "I have no intention of backing down from my position as the nuclear chemist of CEDEF, even when I had left the accommodation you kindly gave me. In fact, I have emailed my newest designs and finding to your address, please make habit of checking them, sir."

"Please keep in mind that while I serve as your nuclear chemist, I have no intention of being a whole member of CEDEF or Vongola. My loyalty lies with the chairman of Sicilia Scuola Pubblica, Signor Jagger Vicken. My fellow laboratory members, student council, and the Disciplinary Committee had asked me to make this official." Sawada didn't even mention the fact that he was Iemitsu's son in his whole exclamation.

"The reason I have my members with me is because your members had made quite a mess for their works." He continued, still not mentioning any word that might connect him with Iemitsu. "My name is Takeshi Yamamoto, and I'm the head of Cleanliness department of the lab. Your subordinates have crashed the window and scattered messes everywhere. It is possible for dusts and the fact that the lab was not sterile anymore could damage the Chief's works. My committee was held responsible by the mess, and so I asked the Tenth Chief to ask responsibility from the instigator. Haha." The tallest teen said as he laughed and grinned.

"I'm Hayato Gokudera, second-in-command of the lab. Your retard subordinates actually halted the process of making such a delicate solution we, the Scientists, have been working for hours to complete. Of course we're fucking upset." The silver-head said through gritted teeth.

"My name is Nagi 'Chrome' Dokuro. I am the head of Equipment department of the lab. Your subordinates broke many test tubes and vials in their clumsy process of kidnapping the Chief Professor. I, along with the treasurer of the student council, am very displeased by the costs we need to utilize for this unnecessary mess." The purple haired girl leaned to her staff as she said quietly.

"I'm Sasagawa Ryohei! Head of Security department in both the lab and the student council. We're EXTREMELY hostile towards your subordinates, who had EXTREMELY brought guns and threatened the brightest mind in the entire school."

All of them looked as angry and worried as each other. Sawada, who stood in the middle of it all, only smiled. "We will expect the appropriate funds to cover what you have done to _my _laboratory." He said threateningly. "By tomorrow, our treasurer and Chrome will make reports to me. If you haven't done what we asked for, I will cut ties with Vongola and CEDEF. If you want to kidnap me, do _not_ act like a kidnapper, sir, it was horridly stupid." Tsuna shook his head disapprovingly.

The teenagers laughed at their leader's words. Lal looked at their leaving figure with awe. They are teenagers, but they're highly trained for these kinds of things. Just what did they teach in Sicilia Pubblica Scuola?

"Oh, Lal-san," Sawada called before he left. "Just let both of them scream, or give them tranquilizer if you are feeling kind. Please drop by the Giglio Nero Bar after the sunset; I've got a nice cello case for you." And then he left a very impressed Lal, a shocked Iemitsu, restless members of CEDEF and Vongola, and the still-screaming Basil and Oregano, who had apparently, drank the strongest hallucinogen ever known to the mafia and surface world alike.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

Tsuna and the others left almost immediately. He departed from the other members, clearly forgetting Skull-san's order to not go home alone.

He sighed as he watched the sky above him slowly losing its majestic blue. He really didn't want to do that, to pull his always ambiguous loyalty against his wordless father was not something he had intended to do. He was a scientist, he was cold, but he wasn't necessarily heartless.

But, his thoughts were interrupted at a sight of a helium-filled red rubber. The Chemist vaguely knew it as 'balloons'. He had never seen the real thing before (at least not at their inflated state). He'd never been to amusement park before; Natsuhiko wasn't too keen on letting Tsuna go with him, fearing that they'll go to Tsuna's preferred rides instead of his own, and he also never had birthday parties with those helium-filled rubbers before.

A bright smile crept upon his face as he chased the curious object. Even though he was straying far from the main road, he knew alternate ways to Skull-san's apartment, after all. When the curious object got stuck in the tree, Tsuna almost whined in frustration. Being short sometimes made him unable to reach targets that are higher than himself. But, he didn't have anything to shot the helium-filled rubbers without breaking it. His vials were too dangerous, the nearby rocks would make the curious object break, and he was left with no other options but to stare at the helium-filled object.

"Oh for hydrocarbons' sake…" He muttered solemnly.

Suddenly, something, or someone blond appeared beside him. "Hi, piccolino." The stranger said pleasantly. Tsuna didn't look up, still preoccupied with how to get the object down without breaking it. "Want me to get that for you?" Tsuna nodded almost immediately, not caring about the fact that he didn't know the stranger at all.

But, when stranger jumped and get the object safely without damaging the thing, Tsuna's eyes sparkled. "T-T-Thank you!" Tsuna exclaimed in sheer happiness. The blond man was so… handsome. Very. He didn't recognize him, but he was exotically handsome. His face looked like a medieval, handsome version of his own face. Tsuna couldn't deny the fact that he looked like himself.

The blond was clad in a very casual pair of white polo shirt and tartan-patterned shorts. He was licking a blue-colored Popsicle. "Nice to meet you!" He said with a grin. "W-w-who are you?" Tsuna asked as he took the red-colored balloon from the blonde's hand. "I'm Giotto," the blond then looked at the balloon first before averting his gaze back to the curious brunet. "But you can call me Helium, if you want."

Tsuna actually smiled at the man. How weird. Not many people wanted to be called with a name of a gas. "You're so weird, Giotto-san… Helium-san." Tsuna smiled. The blond, Helium as Tsuna affectionately remark, grinned. "Yeah, who am I without being called weird?" Giotto laughed.

"Well, I'm Tsuna-"

"I know who you are. I like your website."

Tsuna smiled. Not many people said that to him. "Well, do you want a ride home?" Giotto said as he tossed the Popsicle's stick. "It's near, right?" Giotto added. Tsuna nodded. "Y-yeah. Thank you…" It was late already. He'd been chasing the balloon for that long then…

The ride of him was silent. Helium-san looked at him with apparent curiosity, like he had just met an internet phenomenon. When he'd arrived, he smiled to the blond in gratitude. "That's kind of you, sir." Tsuna said brightly. "No, no, it's my honor. I'm giving a ride home to one of the most brilliant minds in the world." He said with a grin Tsuna had become so familiar with.

"TSUNA! GODDAMIT!" A worried and almost-cracked voice said from inside the elevator. "Well, I gotta go now. I'll see you later, Tsuna." Giotto then left.

"I'M SO SO S-S-S-SOOOOO _WORRIED! _YOU'RE HOME LATER THAN I AM! DO YOU KNOW HOW DOES IT FEEL TO NOT SEE YOU DAWNING ON MY CALPICO WHEN I GOT BACK?" Skull-san was almost crying as he hugged Tsuna, who smiled gently.

"I'll be fine, Skull-san." He said with a smile. "I… I'm sorry I made you worried." The Scientist returned the hug awkwardly. "_Promise _me that this won't happen again. _I'm _in charge of you, Tsuna. _I _am! It still scares me. The fact that I am expected to take care and oversee someone else's wellbeing aside from my own still _scares _me. _You're very important _to us. For me and the other Arcobalenos. I-!"

Tsuna hugged the stuntman tighter as he gave the man a peck on his lips to comfort him. "Please don't worry." He said gently.

Really, he liked Skull-san so much. The man actually _depended _on him, despite the fact that he was the younger one. Skull depended on Tsuna, as much as Tsuna depended for Skull-san. Only in the whole different way, the opposite way.

"You're my charge, I'm responsible for you." Skull-san sighed. "But, you're more responsible to me, huh?" Skull-san laughed, pitying himself. Tsuna touched the stuntman's face gently. "You're… helping me. You needed me… no one ever needed me before…" Tears leaked from his eyes. "I… really… I thank you, Skull-san. Thank you." They hugged each other happily.

And the funny part is: Tsuna fell asleep on Skull's shoulder, leaving the stuntman laughing at his roommate's adorable antic as he carried the smiling, sleeping Chemist back to their room.

* * *

_**Next:**_

_**Third Stunt: Amusement Park**_

* * *

**Aw I'm finished! I dunno what else to say though.**

**Can you guys forgive me for no review –reply this time? I'm too sleepy…**

**But, um, please review again…**


	8. Sicilia Scuola Pubblica Web: Sp Coverage

**SPECIAL COVERAGE!**

_Welcome to Sicilia Scuola Pubblica's website, where those who defend, gains something! _

_**HOT NEWS! : **__After a long excruciating process, our school's pride and joy: the student council and the laboratory personnel has agreed to let us, the journalism and computer club to post their profiles in the internet! _

**Click here to hear our school song!**

**Read our school pledge first!**

**Sicilia Scuola Pubblica**

_~Acquirit qui tuetur~_

_We are the brightest mind in Sicilia. We pledge our worth for the burning passion towards our country, to never forget the snow in our homeland, and to always return to the green hills where we belong._

_Those who gains are those who defends. We believe so and we will do so. We pledge our loyalty to our school's black eagle, we will remember that even in the darkest sky, we of the Sicilia Scuola Pubblica will remain faithful to our flight, even when the black eagle does not exist._

_We will not be swayed by what others say and we will only be who we are._

_Gloria per Italia!_

**Student Council.**

**President.**

**Name: **Kyoya Hibari

**Nationality: **Japanese

**Class: **3-Advanced (High School)

Kyoya Hibari is the current president of student council. Even though he has slight complication with the vice-president, the matter was resolved entirely. He is the current top of the cohort, and his Mentality and Physical report card are impeccable. He is also the leader of our Disciplinary Committee and has successfully made our school the most rule-abiding school in Sicilia; he has received scholarship for being a natural law-enforcer. He is also the class representative of advanced classes.

**Vice-President.**

**Name: **Mukuro Rokudo

**Nationality: **Italian-Japanese

**Class: **3-Advanced (High School)

Mukuro Rokudo is the current vice-president of the student council. He is known for his capricious nature towards everyone, even the president. He is the second of the cohort, and his Mentality and Physical report card exceeded all expectations. He is also the leader of clothing-design club and has successfully made fashion shows in Paris, and has received scholarship because of his talent in clothing-design. He is the older brother of Laboratory personnel, Miss Nagi Dokuro.

**Secretary/Treasurer.**

**Name: **Lambo Bovino

**Nationality: **Italian

**Class: **1-Acceleration (High School)

Lambo Bovino is the current Secretary and Treasurer of the student council. He is a genius with chronic laziness. And yet, he doubled as secretary and treasurer because he is the richest person in school. He is the smartest in his cohort, but rarely attends any of the exams sans the most important ones. He is the leader of the Blackjacks club, the only gambling school-club allowed in Sicilia, and has received scholarship for being such an excellent gambler. The principal, Signor Jagger, granted him the title of 'Goddess Fortuna's beloved son' for his extreme luck.

**Head of Security Department.**

**Name: **Ryohei Sasagawa

**Nationality: **Japanese

**Class: **3-2 (Regular class) (High School)

Ryohei Sasagawa is the current head of security in both student council and the Laboratory. He is the only member of student council who is not a 'genius'. He attends regular classes and his report cards were poor, sans the Physical report card. He is the only one in the whole school who had received a golden stamp in his report cards for acing them so hard. He is the captain of the boxing club and has received scholarship for being the champion of junior world boxing championship.

**Head of the Event Manager Committee.**

**Name:** Nagi Dokuro

**Nationality: **Italian-Japanese

**Class: **1-Acceleration (High School)

Nagi 'Chrome' Dokuro is the current head of event manager committee and also the head of equipment department in the laboratory. She is the only girl in both organizations. She is the top of her cohort whenever Lambo is lazy enough to not show up for the test. She is an accomplished junior magician, and has received scholarship for it. She is the younger sister of Mukuro Rokudo, the vice-president of student council. **Click here to watch one of her performances!**

**Extra Infos!**

**Advanced classes are for students who will definitely get into Vindice University or able to choose any other university in Italia. **

**Acceleration classes are for students who will finish the education within two years instead of the normal three. If they are smart enough, they will also be able to get into the Vindice University.**

**Vindice University is the only University who has direct partnership with Sicilia Scuola Pubblica. It is kind of the Harvard of Italia.**

**Sicilia Scuola Pubblica Laboratory.**

_The lab of our school isn't some sort of place you can just enter during science club. Only members of the lab and the authorized personnel (such as the D.C) are able to enter this place._

**Chief Professor.**

**Name: **Tsunayoshi Sawada

**Nationality: **Japanese

**Class: **2-Advanced (Middle School)

Tsunayoshi Sawada is the current chief professor of the lab. He is the tenth person to assume this position. Not many things are known about him except for the rumors flying around that he is currently working with two major weaponry industries. He is the second of his cohort with impeccable academic and Mentality report cards. He is a genius Chemist who had done many researches for the world, and he has received scholarship for doing so. **Click here to access his website!**

**Vice-Chief Professor.**

**Name: **Hayato Gokudera

**Nationality: **Italian-Japanese

**Class: **2-Advanced (Middle School)

Hayato Gokudera is the current vice-chief professor of the lab. He is extremely loyal towards the chief professor, even going as far as taking all notes that the chief had missed. He is the top of his cohort with impeccable scores for all three report cards. Despite his position in the Laboratory, he is actually an achieved-pianist. He has shows across the world, but usually boycotted all of them for research purposes; he has received scholarship with his musical ability. **Click here to watch one of his performances! **

**Head of Environmental Cleanliness Department.**

**Name: **Takeshi Yamamoto

**Nationality: **Japanese

**Class: **2-5 (Regular class) (Middle School)

Takeshi Yamamoto is the current head of environmental cleanliness department of the lab. Despite being clueless in chemistry, he is responsible for the sterile environment inside the laboratory. He attends regular classes because he isn't an academically smart person, but, he is the fourth batter (best player) of the baseball club. It was said the he is guaranteed to have a spot in major league. Because of his exploitation in baseball from a rather young age, he has received scholarship for it.

**Read more on our school's news and coverage!**

**A TRESPASSER CAUGHT IN THE LABORATORY!**

**BASEBALL CLUB WINS ANOTHER MATCH.**

**More…**

**Click here to find out about the computer and journalism club!**

**Spanner (Leader of Computer Club)**

**Lillianne Rosselli (Leader of Journalism Club)**

**List of our honorable Alumni!**

**Reborn (Year xxxx)**

**Viper Indigo (Year xxxx)**

**Skull de Mort (Year xxxx)**

**More…**

* * *

**Yeaaay I'm done! I like writing this XD**

**I'll do a joint review reply with the Third Stunt XD**

**Please leave a review ;D**


	9. Third Stunt: Amusement Park

_**Third Stunt: Amusement Park**_

* * *

Reborn barged inside the CEDEF infirmary, a place he'd never visited before, with any trouble at all. Some of the staff was looking at him like he had gone crazy, but he didn't care (rather, he actually pointed gun at the staff that questioned him).

"Lal," Reborn greeted calmly. The blue-haired woman looked at the man irritably. "Can't you knock or something?" She clicked her tongue. "No time. Who did this to them?" Reborn leaned to the wall directly in front of the beds. Two brown haired members of CEDEF lied there, still twitching with nightmares. "Do you come to mock CEDEF, or do you seriously want to know?" Lal seethed.

Reborn laughed. "A bit of both, actually." He crossed his hands. Lal wanted to say something, but she didn't find anything to say at the extremely rude fedora-wearer. She only crossed her legs and arms, scoffing at the rudest (and unfortunately the strongest) member of Ar-Mer. "It was your nephew."

Reborn's eyes widened, but then he laughed out loud. "As expected of my nephew," He said, clearly amused. "Well, I don't want to have anything to do with this. How about you, Lal?" Lal looked towards her teammates with pained expression. "Don't tell me you want to avenge them?"

"They didn't know… Iemitsu sent them so easily-"

"Assuming you're going to be an idiot, how are you going to do it? Charge through Tsuna's school? They don't teach normal shits in Sicilia Scuola Pubblica. I actually got a scholarship for being a hitman. The headmistress was a weird person who had knacks in identifying talents." Reborn closed his obsidian eyes.

Lal couldn't say anything to the fedora-wearer, who inevitably sighed. "If you are going to be an idiot, I won't stop you," he said as he headed to the door. "But, who will you choose? Us, the Ar-Mer, or CEDEF? Please decide as soon as possible, Lal Mirch."

With that, Reborn left a very distraught Lal to her own devices.

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

Skull parked Oodako in front of the bar's entrance clumsily. He didn't really care about his parking position at the moment, since he came in the middle of the night. Well, Oodako is famous; people can mistake it as an attraction of the bar or something.

Giglio Nero bar was packed with people. There was a live music today and many people had come to see it. It's not like every day people could hear Sally Vicken's heavenly voice for free while drinking vodka in a perfectly reasonable price, right? That was one of Giglio Nero's most striking features: cheap drinks with tranquility. Nobody, Skull repeated, _nobody _messes around in the Giglio Nero bar after all.

"Ah, Skull! Welcome back, dear, over here!" Luce called from over the counter.

Skull smiled to Sally, who was singing on the stage. The blond woman smiled back at him as he made his way to the counter, passing Gamma who winked at him while serving some of the customers. Skull made his way to Luce, who was leaning on the counter from the other side. She was serving a bottle of gin tonic to two men with identical clothing: black robes, black suits, and top hats.

"Lu! Sorry I'm late; Tsuna came home later than I did so I had to wait for him first. And then he fell asleep so I tucked him in first before coming here." Skull put his helmet on the counter as he jabbered. Luce exclaimed an 'I don't mind' as she took a can of Pepper Soda, another drink Skull had high tolerance of besides calpico.

"Ah, why did you call me again?" He asked as he drunk the bottle in three gulps.

Luce and the two men she was serving laughed. They were obviously amused with Skull's inattentiveness towards both men who had been watching him like hawks. "I figured that you wanted to meet my husband, Skull, so I called you here." Luce said, still giggling as she opened another can of Pepper Soda.

"Oh your hus-, wait, what?" Skull almost spurted the drink to the man who had been holding Luce's left hand. "My name is Bermuda von Vichtenstein, I am Luce's husband." He offered his hand to Skull, whose mouth was hanging in awe. "N-no… seriously?" He asked as he took the man's bandaged hand. "Seriously." Bermuda said, his face was bandaged wholly, but his lips kind of… moved.

Skull almost shouted in holy terror when the hand dropped to the ground. "Bermuda! Stop your pranks!" Luce reprimanded, but she was also laughing with the man who sat beside Bermuda. "Ah, my love, pranks are one of the luxuries I get to do outside of my workplace." The bandaged man took out his real hand from under his sleeves. "I figure you don't get to do many pranks in Vindice?" A deep, unfamiliar voice came from the man who sat Bermuda, joining their conversation.

"No, I do not have many pranksters in Vindice, my dear Jagger." Bermuda laughed merrily.

Skull's heart was still ramming to his chest. _He _just dropped a _hand _goddammit! One does not simply _drop _a hand, right?

"Jagger… ugh, as in Jagger Vicken? Miss Sally's husband?" Skull asked Luce who stared at him with surprise. "Oh, Skull, do you know Sally?" She asked. "Well duh. She was the headmistress of Sicilia Scuola Pubblica. Viper and I got scholarships on the high school there." Skull sat down beside Jagger, trying to avoid Bermuda, who was still laughing like no tomorrow.

"It's not like I can forget someone who gave scholarship over stuntman-career." Skull gulped another Pepper Soda. "Well, talents came in many different ways. When Sally was in charge, we got a stuntman, a renowned illusionist, and a great hitman. When I'm in charge this year, we got another set of excellent students." Jagger said proudly. "Oh, if they're good enough, they can enter my Vindice University. Care to tell who they are?" Bermuda said with interest.

Vindice University was, in a sense, a mafia school. Only geniuses and smart people (maybe mastermind, criminal mastermind) are allowed in there, kind of like the underworld's Harvard. It was a mafia school because all students in there _have _to pass physical, mental, and academic tests. Physical included survival test in Madagascar or Alaska, Mental included watching a torture session within Vindice prison, and Academic included passing the tests that were made by both Vindice and Harvard students. In short, those who had 'Vindice' in their academic history were guaranteed to be whatever they wanted. Both in surface world or underworld.

"From Middle School: Tsunayoshi Sawada," Skull jolted. "Hayato Gokudera, and Yamamoto Takeshi." Jagger lifted his gin and toasted to his wife, who was singing on the stage. "The three of them are geniuses in their own fields. Tsunayoshi Sawada is a gifted Chemist, currently working with Sparks Industry and CEDEF. A bit weak in Physical, but he'll definitely ace the Mental and Academics.

"Hayato Gokudera is a genius pianist. But his science capability are way above average, it exceeded my expectations. He doesn't work with anyone but the members of Sicilia Scuola Pubblica's Lab members, but he can easily get offers to show in Paris or London. His loyalty is very high, and currently, he is loyal to Tsunayoshi Sawada. He won't ace, but he'll definitely pass all Physical, Mental, and Academicals.

"Takeshi Yamamoto is guaranteed to have a spot in baseball major league. He is also a _great _swordsman. He practices a Japanese style called Shigure Souen Ryuu. He is also loyal to Tsunayoshi, to the point that he forced the student council to give him a spot as Lab member even when he is not good in Chemistry. He will ace Physical and mental, but fails in Academics." Bermuda nodded. "Great batch this time, Jagger. Anyone else?"

"From High school: Kyoya Hibari, Mukuro Rokudo, Ryohei Sasagawa, Lambo Bovino, and Nagi Dokuro. All of them are very… interesting." Jagger chuckled. "And all of them are part of the student council, also, all of them asked to be responsible over observing Tsunayoshi Sawada."

"Kyoya Hibari is strong, disciplined, and focused. He is the leader of Disciplinary Committee and also the head of student council. He'll definitely ace all three of your tests.

"Mukuro Rokudo is almost on par with Kyoya Hibari. He is the vice-president of student council and the older brother of Nagi. He'll also ace all three, but his score in Mental test will definitely break your record.

"Ryohei Sasagawa is the head of Security in both student council and the Laboratory. He is pretty much the same as Takeshi Yamamoto, only a bit more… sunnier, I guess. He's a person you'll never want to be in your Vindice, Bermuda, but you'll probably like him. He's interesting to watch.

"Lambo Bovino, along with Nagi Dokuro… they are part of the acceleration class. But, that isn't the reason why I'm mentioning him. Lambo Bovino is the treasurer of the student council who is a coward… and yet has the luck of Goddess Fortuna. His gambling skills are top-notch, and he is just… the luckiest person on earth.

"Nagi Dokuro is the head of Equipment department of the Lab. She is the younger sister of Mukuro, and a rising star within the world of magician. She is also the Event Manager of the student council. She's the same as Tsunayoshi Sawada, who will ace in mental and academics, but weak in physical.

"And all of them are fiercely loyal to Tsunayoshi Sawada, the Tenth Chief Professor of Sicilia Scuola Pubblica Laboratory. So if you recruited him into Vindice Uni, the others are guaranteed to be in your grasp as well, Bermuda-sama." Jagger offered a toast to the other man, who looked pleased.

Skull almost shivered. If Tsuna entered Vindice Uni, it was impossible for Vongola, CEDEF, or even Millefiore to ever harm him. This was such a great opportunity, but Tsuna was still in middle school. He had to protect him for another three years. Not that it was troublesome, but…

"Even when Tsuna is not part of the Vindice, I will still protect him." Luce said as she petted Skull's purple hair. She was grinning gently at him. "I like Tsuna. Aria likes him too, and so is Gamma. Everyone likes him. And I, as the lady of Ar-Mer, will protect him." Skull wanted to cry. Luce was always like this. She always melted all of his worries with just a few sentences…

Bermuda sighed as he stood up from his seat and jumped to the other side of the counter. He grabbed Luce's waist and stared down at her. "That determination… is precisely what makes me fall for you, my love…" He whispered. "Worry not. Vindice will always be an ally of Giglio Nero. I will always… _always _be in your side, my dear Luce. You've given me an angel, Aria, you have completed my life. You taught me that revenge is never the only choice I have…"

Skull watched them both with narrowed eyes. Who knew that leader of Vindice was actually a hopelessly romantic person…?

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

The morning in de Mort household started with the normal breakfast. Tsuna and Skull were arguing about yesterday's occurrence. After Tsuna had explained the whole story, Skull was a bit frightened at his meeting with Giotto, whom he had noticed as the young CEO of Vongola. But, what ticked him the most was…

"And so… you went home really late because you were chasing a stray balloon…?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, the balloon exploded when I put it in my room. But all in all, it was such a fun experience-"

"MORON! If you want a balloon, I'll get you one! Besides, aren't teenagers like you supposed to be tired of balloons and amusement parks?" Skull said as he gulped his fifth calpico of the morning.

Tsuna looked at him curiously. The brunet fiddled idly with his plastic spoon. He seemed to be deep in thought. "But, I've never been to the amusement park before…" Skull dropped his calpico, spilling the milk everywhere.

The same. He'd never been to the amusement park before he met Viper and Luce. Medea hated amusement parks, and so there was no reason for de Mort household to ever go there. It was when he told Luce that he'd never been to the amusement park before that the lady was actually shocked and promptly brought both Viper and Skull to the said amusement park.

Unlike Skull, Viper never got to the amusement park because he was too stingy to buy the tickets. That was also the reason why Viper never asked Skull to recreational places before. As Skull quoted from the illusionist, 'Watching borrowed DVD in Skull's condo is the best recreational purposes'. Really, Skull lost track of how much money he had spent for Viper's 'recreational purposes'.

"…okay. We're going to the amusement park today." Skull said as he tossed his calpico to trash can (it failed miserably though). "Eh?" The Chemist tilted his head. "Tsuna, as Luce quoted 'one does not simply live without going to the amusement park'. Besides, you probably never went there because of your brother, right?" Tsuna, as he had expected, flinched. The exact same reaction he always had whenever people bring up Medea.

"I'll change that. I don't want you to feel like you're un…" Even though the Chemist smiled to him, Skull couldn't bring himself to say the word. "Unwanted, Skull-san, unwanted." Tsuna completed the sentence as he opened a can of calpico. "I don't like that word…" Skull whined. Tsuna laughed. "I don't like it either." He agreed.

"You're not going like that, though." Skull pointed to the brunet, who was wearing the usual lab coat over Sicilia Scuola Pubblica's uniform. "Eh?" Please change your clothes before we leave, okay?" Skull stood up and head over to his room, leaving the confused Chemist all by himself.

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

_Lose him and I'll __**accident**__ you._

_-R_

"Goddamit Reborn. You're the one who asked me what's up with us today…" Skull clicked his tongue as he leaned petulantly against the door. "Tsuna, are you ready?" He called. "Y-yeah! Please wait a bit!" The Chemist stumbled out from the Library nee his bedroom.

Skull had to suppress a gulp. Tsuna was dressed in a tartan-patterned shorts and black t-shirt with 'No O2 = No World' written in white plastered on top of it. He looked utterly… hot. Skull thought that even when Tsuna is just a normal kid without all the Chemist crap, he'd still gotten kidnapped for being such a cute guy. Though, he brought a lab coat with him. Skull scoffed and shook his head. "You're not bringing that." He said with a laugh. "O-only if you don't bring that." Tsuna pointed to his helmet.

Skull's heart immediately beat twice as hard. To think of it… Tsuna's lab coat might have had the same function as his helmet: a safe haven. He could hide his embarrassment and wimpy-ness with his helmet, and Tsuna could hide his no-goodness with his lab coat. Not bringing their safe haven would have counted like they are stepping out of their comfort zone.

Skull gulped. He didn't want to leave his helmet, even when it didn't really suit the clothes he wore now. The stuntman had donned something other than his leather-suit, a nice purple t-shirt with a white upside down cross running down his torso and black ripped up-jeans. He looked like a goth-punk kid with heavy purple makeup, which was awesome, in his opinion.

He stared hard at his own helmet and sighed. "Okay then… I won't take my helmet, but you shouldn't take your lab coat. And since I can't bring my helmet, we won't be taking Oodako. Let's go." Skull took the flustered Chemist's hand and went to the amusement park together.

The journey to the amusement park was silent and awkward, making Skull curse Reborn again and again inside his head. He had adapted quite well, living with Tsuna, but this awkwardness is still something he really wanted to be gone.

But… it was all really worth it when Tsuna looked utterly happy when they had reached the amusement park. "Whoaaaaa!" The Chemist exclaimed as he looked towards the roller coaster, apparently speechless. "Wanna ride?" Skull asked. He loved these kinds of thrill. He had made both Viper and Luce puke the first time they got here after three consecutive rides of roller coaster.

"No, I like to observe better than riding!" Tsuna answered him, his eyes sparkling like no tomorrow.

As a result, Skull and Tsuna didn't really ride anything since Tsuna liked observing better than riding. It was boring, sort of, but then when they reached the shooting range, Skull was about to sit down as Tsuna babble about how interesting all of these were. Tsuna didn't babble though, he took a shotgun and tossed it to Skull.

"Do you want to try?" He asked with a smile. Skull grinned. _Finally! _Something fun…

"Sure!" He had exclaimed dramatically. The purple-haired man brought the shotgun to his eyelevel and tried to shoot the red and white target. When he missed all of them, he sighed. "Ughhh I suck!" He _didn't _whine, he only said the truth. Tsuna laughed.

"Hmmm which one would you like, Skull-san?" Tsuna asked as his eyes eyed the prices. "Well, I'd want that purple teddy bear…" Tsuna shot him an amused look. "Hey! It's good, okay? It'll fit the collection of my purple dolls series." Yeah, he already had the octopus, horse, and dinosaurs ones. It'd be great if he had the whole set!

Tsuna smiled to him. "I'll get it for you." He said with a laugh. The brunet only used one hand and held the shotgun like it was a mere handgun. He shot the middle target and hit the perfect bullseye. "Whoa!" Skull exclaim. "I'm a weapon designer. This kind of thing is a given." He snickered.

They kept on playing in the shooting range until the sun almost sets. Skull gasped and shot a longing look towards the ferris wheel. "Skull-san?" Tsuna chimed. "D-dame Tsuna… let's ride that." Skull said in his usual cocky manner. He took the Chemist's hand and dragged him to the ferris wheel. The brunet was flustering so hard behind him, but Skull remained completely oblivious.

"We're _not _going home from an amusement park without getting on this one." Skull said petulantly and he almost sounded like he was _whining_, which was a big no no. At first, Tsuna looked utterly terrified at the giant wheel, but when Skull whi – _said the truth_ – he laughed. "F-fine…" Tsuna stammered. Why though? This whole thing should be so happy with it. Riding new things and with all of his scientist tendency, Skull had expected him to step inside one of the cars laughing maniacally or talking nonsense about why a ferris wheel is such an interesting ride.

He remembered when Reborn had forced Verde, Viper, Fon, Colonnello, and Skull himself inside a haunted mansion. Viper had lowered his hood a little bit, clearly excited about the whole thing, but didn't want to show it. Colonnello slept the entire ride. Fon had comforted the cowering stuntman who muttered all curses in Italian he ever identified. Verde, however, had babbled the entire ride away about how ghosts and spectral beings couldn't possibly exist because they can't be blablabla science blablabla. On top of that, Verde laughed maniacally when a mummy latched itself to him, scaring even the mummy itself as Verde straightened his glasses and said 'mummified bodies do not have their innards, how do you explain walking around without a brain to command your actions?' to the mummy's face.

All in all, he swore he'll never go to haunted mansion with these guys ever again. With Fon and Viper, okay maybe, but going with Verde? No thank you.

"Skull-san." Tsuna called, waking him up from his daydreams. "Are you okay? You look… pale." The brunet looked genuinely worried, he almost felt bad about it. Skull-san grinned. "Of course I'm okay, dame-Tsuna, I'm the immortal stuntman!" He said with undeterred cockiness. Tsuna laughed a strained laugh, and it immediately perked Skull's attention.

"Hey, what's w-wrong? You're not sick, are you?" God, if Tsuna's sick, he'll never survive Reborn's wrath. The hitman had said it so clearly: _Lose him and I'll accident you_. Sweat formed in Skull's temple. The stuntman was so glad that his makeup-set was waterproof. Bless you Luce.

"N-no…" The chemist said, sitting upright as he refused to look anywhere but the floor. "I-it's just that… I'm afraid of height." Whoa. No kidding. Tsuna, the scientist, Verde incarnate, was afraid of heights?

For Skull himself, height is never a problem. After all, what kind of person who had to jump loops of fire got afraid of mere heights?

He smiled. "Even you had your weakness, huh?" Skull stifled a laugh. Tsuna pouted and shot him a 'hey!' childishly. Skull scratched the back of his head and gestured to brunet to the seat beside him. "Wanna sit here? Luce said something could be less scary if you're together." It was true indeed. It was one of the reasons why he had clutch to Fon's red sleeves like no tomorrow.

Tsuna's eyes tripled in size that Skull had to laugh out loud. And apparently, it rocked the car and made Tsuna panic. "Skull-san!" The chemist said in a shrill voice as he stumbled forward, directly to Skull's open arms.

Purple eyes met with brown for a while. Tsuna's ears and cheeks went really red as Skull held him by the waist to steady him. "Skull-san… you're so…" The chemist's hand found its way to Skull's face. He traced the chain that dangled on the stuntman's face very carefully. "How… intriguing…" Tsuna breathed as he kept on tracing Skull's jaw.

The stuntman felt utterly awkward at the sudden interaction. And despite the fact that his heart was ramming into his chest, he actually didn't feel uncomfortable with it. Awkward? Why yes. Very much so. But uncomfortable? No, no way.

As he examined the brown orbs that belonged to his roommate, Skull noticed that Tsuna was eyeing him like how Verde eyed his alligator, which was pretty much the only organic being he had truly loved. Skull knew all the fantastic tales Verde had told him about how intelligent his conversation was with Keiman, the name of the green monstrosity that had once bit Oodako's wheel. And Tsuna. Boy. Was he considered as a pet or something?

Deciding that he didn't want this anymore, Skull took a deep breath. "U-um, Tsuna?" The chemist snapped back to reality and gasped. "Oh for the love of Lavoisier. I did something weird, didn't I? Oh, ah, Potassium Manganate, what have I done? I'm sorry, Skull-san." The boy looked utterly embarrassed. He removed himself from Skull's lap and sat in front of the stuntman.

"N-no… it's not like I'm unhappy with it…" The stuntman said a bit too quietly. He glanced outside the window and was glad that he was already back on the ground. "It's just that we've arrived already, yeah? So, well, yeah…" He grinned sheepishly.

Red exploded on Tsuna's face as he realized what he had just done. God, this was going to be more awkward than the trip before. Ughhh he shouldn't have said that!

When both men came down from the car, they saw a little girl wearing a bunny suit pointing at them. "Daddy! That's Tsuna oniisan and Skull-san I told you!" The little girl tugged Luce's husband's hand (and it didn't drop this time. Thank god) and eventually decided to just glomp on both men herself. "Aria, if you want to attach an honorific of 'Onii-san' to someone else's name, you just need to lose the 'O', right? I taught you that." Tsuna said calmly as he petted the girl on her furry suit.

Skull grinned. "Hey, Aria, came here with your dad?" He asked. Aria giggled happily as she nodded. The little sunshine gestured her father to hurry up and meet with the duo. "Nice to meet you again, Signor Bermuda." The stuntman said casually, a little less tense than usual since this man had joked around with him before, it should be okay. "Ah, yes, Skull, indeed." The bandaged man replied pleasantly.

His eyes flitted to Tsuna, who stared at Bermuda with narrowed eyes. "Signor Bermuda von Vichtenstein. I've heard so much about you." Tsuna extended his hand formally. The adult man didn't look surprised at Tsuna's behavior and returned the hand. "Likewise, Tsunayoshi Sawada. I like your website." Pink tingled the brunet's face as they shake hands.

"Oh, yeah! You should come home with us! WE HAVE COOKIES IN THE CAR!" Aria said as she marched away from them. "Aria! Ah, that girl," Bermuda sighed. "Oh, yes, if you want, we can drop you home with our car. It's more convenient than going with train, right?"

Skull had never been so happy about someone, especially Aria and Bermuda, giving him a ride home. At least, he won't be alone with the chemist and resulted into an awkward trip back home…

* * *

_**Next:**_

_**Werner Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle**_

* * *

**NEXT CHAPTER IS MY FAVORITE CHAPTER TO WRITE EVERRR! IT WILL HAVE BADASS CHROME, SNEAKY GIOTTO, ANNOYING NATSU, REGRETFUL IEMITSU AND A MAJOR BATCH OF REVEALED SECRETS!**

**Review reply!**

Guest** - Tehehehe iyaaaa~ Tsuna kan kayak murid paling pinter di S.S.P (Sicilia Scuola Pubblica) makanya dia dijagain banget sama Student Council hehehe**

**Yuu3**** – Well, I did want to make this a slow-developing couple. I mean, Skull literally saw Tsuna as a kid, Reborn's nephew and roommate, while Tsuna sees this cool (yet wimpy) adult who helped and saved him from his family's neglection. They have nothing to stop their (slow) romance XD But well, it's going to be a long time until wimpy Skull sees Tsuna that way though XD**

**Soul Vrazy (Guest) – Thank you!**

**Guest**** (But I know you're PhantomHitman1412 :p) – I also looove writing the details about Tsuna's work-life and his title XD and Iemitsu is… lol Iemitsu. GOD I WANT TO ANSWER YOUR IEMITSU-TO-GIOTTO IMPRESSION SO BAD BUT I CAN'T DO SO WITHOUT SPOILING SO PLEASE WAIT FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER! And yes, dynamites are no-good to use if you're a chemist. I mean, Yamamoto who is the head of cleanliness dept. is held responsible when the window broke and then it's not sterile anymore, imagine what will happen if Gokudera, the Vice-Chief Professor wreaks havoc within the lab with dynamites and made all the solution Tsuna had worked hard for to ashes. There is no real reason why Helium for Giotto, except for the fact that Giotto had a Helium-filled object in his hand, he's just random like that. (YOU'LL GET IT IN THE NEXT CHAPTER) All in all, I love you for your review! Please keep it up, you make me so happy :'D**

**SelfcreatedCharacter**** – Awww isn't heee~? Cute! Tsuna and worrywart! Skull is soo squeeeee**

**Narutopokefan**** – Oooh! You have no idea how happy I was when I wrote that part! Mwahahaha *evil laugh***

**Guest – Thank you for saying so! Well, your review kind of cracked me up a bit since **_**I **_**am Chiri-tan and I have all the rights to use Giotto's characterization in my own story XD and I didn't forget them, I just haven't write them since, if you read the Sicilia Scuola Pubblica Special Coverage, they aren't part of the Laboratory members, they're the Student Council.**

**Akahama near – lol mobile fic-reading! I love doing it too! Thank you! even though not much Giotto in this one~**

**R3iga1004**** – Yessss! I'm kind of like… "whyyy it's so unfair" over fics in which Tsuna doesn't have a team on his own. Thanks for saying that you don't mind long-updates, SO KIND!**

**TunaForDesert**** – Oh gosh! Did it make you feel like the basic plotline is the same? I didn't think so while writing it, but, oh well, ACWSM is a Voice Inside Arcobaleno Database: EASIER PLOT VERSION! XDDD**

**That's Riku**** – *huggggs***

**Soul Vrazy**** – Thank you for reviewing twice XDD**

**WhatExistsInFalling**** – Thank you!**

**Review reply for 'Sicilia Scuola Pubblica Web: Special Coverage'**

**Soul Vrazy**** – That chapter is for those who said that I forgot about Hibari and the other guardians! I felt like I didn't convey it enough or clearly in this chapter, so I made some sort of a prelude chappy :3**

** – Awww Thank you so much!**

**Nekokratik**** – Thank you so much! I'm pretty sure your whole expectation will be turned around by the next chapter! About Byakuran… well, stay tuned to find out XD**

**Please review~~**


	10. Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle

_**Werner Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle**_

* * *

"Fantastic, dear Nagi, it was magical."

"Thank you… brother."

Nagi 'Chrome' Dokuro smiled shyly to her own brother. Her brother wore gloves so his clapping sounded weird in the echoes of auditorium. "Your voice is as magical as your performance, dear sister; you should join the Atelier after school." The blue-haired man said as he ruffled her hair. She, one of the lab members, joining Atelier, the place where the artsy clique gather? Impossible, nevertheless, pink tingled to her cheeks as her brother complimented her. "N-no… thank you…"

"Kufufu, let me know if you change your mind," she nodded. Her brother smiled, clearly pleased with her. Both siblings looked at each other with the normal disbelief they had. Only a few years ago they were test subject on-the-run from Estraneo Famiglia. It was only a few years ago that Jagger Vicken had found them and offered them protection. The condition of their protection was simple: attend the Sicilia Scuola Pubblica and get into the Vindice University. If they can do that, they'll be free from the Estraneo.

She smiled as she hugged her brother. "I'm so happy that you're here with me, brother…" Her brother smiled at her. "Indeed," he replied simply, but she knew that he felt the same way.

"What a big scoop! You guys are so cute together!" Suddenly, a blond girl entered the dark auditorium happily. "Ah, Lillianne," her brother smirked. Lillianne Rosselli, leader of the journalism club, was a bright young woman. She was tall with straight blond her that went straight to her waist. She had blue eyes and she was slightly tanned like every other Italian girl out there. She wore a camera as necklace and smiled beautifully. "Hello, vice-president Mukuro! I'm not aware that we'll have company!" She said as she approached Nagi.

"Don't worry, she was just leaving. I will see you soon, Nagi." Nagi nodded and scampered away. Everyone in the school knew about how her brother and the head of journalism club were 'friends with benefits'.

When Nagi shut the auditorium door behind her, she was surprised when she turned around to see someone who wanted to open it. "Chrome. Here you are." The man said. "I was looking for you."

Lambo. Thank god.

"Y-yeah…" Nagi spoke quietly. "I saw Rilli, is she with your brother?" Chrome shook her head. "No, it's not Rillianne, it's Lilli." Lambo scoffed. "I swear they need to make a little difference with their faces. They're so alike that I can't tell them apart." Well, they wore their hairstyles differently, but Lambo apparently didn't notice, or care.

Rillianne Rosselli was Lillianne Rosselli's younger twin sister. And while Lilli was a member of the Windows Room (the computer and journalism club's hanging spot), Rilli was a member of the Blackjacks the gambler club. The twins were really different and very involved in very different kinds of people. Lambo had had a crush at both of them, unable to tell them apart. But he was just messing around before admitting to a very flustered purple-haired girl that the woman he was in love with was Chrome and nobody else.

The purple-haired girl had blushed when she heard the confession, and of course nobody knew about it. If someone else knew, it would have become the school's number one news and her brother won't ever let Lambo live mentally healthy anymore.

"Well, I'm looking for you because the president wanted to see us." He drawled lazily as he scratched the back of his head. "Eh? Why? I've finished all my reports, and I helped you with yours so we're supposed to be done already." Nagi's voice raised several octaves, but it was still quiet. Angry president is as bad (if not a few notch higher) as angry chief professor. She had finished the budget report about the broken equipments caused by the intruders yesterday by combining Yamamoto-san's and her own reports. Her duty was supposed to be over and the president should be calling the chief professor and not her. Unless…

"The Chief Professor, Tsuna-oniichan, is absent today." She really found Lambo's quirks and childish younger-brother act towards the chief professor adorable. But that didn't stop her from exhaling loudly. He really chose the worst day to not come to school… "Oh, okay…" Great. Now she needed to face an angry president. She just hoped that it won't be as bad as the meeting that occurred last week when Lambo had misplaced most of the budget for the school anniversary. That meeting occurred between her, the president, and Lambo only.

She had fidgeted the whole meeting as Lambo drawled about forgetting where he put the budget. The president was very angry and he had taken out his silver tonfa and threatened Lambo to his death. Both Nagi and Lambo had panicked and the meeting had ended with her brother and the head of security department fighting the president to stall some time as Lambo made a dash to a nearby casino to get the budget back.

"Chrome," Lambo looked around the premises before holding her hand and pulled her. "Come on, we don't want to be late." The full-blooded Italian then dragged her across the school, taking the route with less people in it. When they were about to pass the front-entrance, they found a certain silver head about to leave the school. "Vice-chief Professor," Nagi greeted quietly. "What are you doing?" Lambo let go of her hand and hid behind her. The treasure had some accident with the silver-head before. In fact, Lambo was the first person ever to be the target of the completed smokin' bomb solution.

"If it isn't Chrome and the dumb cow." Lambo cringed at the nickname, but his eyes flitted nervously to his cow print tie on top of his uniform. "I'm getting the hell out of here. Tenth isn't coming so I don't really have any business here." Um, what about going to the president and hand him the reports the chief professor should have made if he hadn't skipped school? But Chrome didn't dare to say anything.

"Anyways, if you see the baseball-freak or the lawn-head, tell them I'm gone." The silver-head walked past them. Lambo made a rude gesture when he was sure that Gokudera-san was not in the premises anymore. Chrome giggled quietly.

They walked again and this time, Chrome was the one slipping her hand in Lambo's. She liked Lambo very much. The boy was her little brother then and her man now. She knew that no matter how much of a coward Lambo is, he will always be there for her when she needed him.

When they reached the student council's lounge, they knew that the president would be the only person there. Mukuro-niisama was in the auditorium and Sasagawa-san was in the middle of supplementary classes. They let go of each other's hands, looked at each other with a worry, and gulped nervously as Lambo opened the door.

"Slow." The president had said in a barely audible statement, but both Chrome and Lambo cringed. "But not late. I would have bitten the two of you to death if you got here five seconds later." The president was seated in one of the sofa across the bookshelf, looking as intimidating as usual. His bluish-gray eyes peered at both she and Lambo coldly. Chrome took a deep breath and started.

"You called for us, president?" She had said with all the confidence she could muster. The president smirked. Chrome knew that the president disliked people who sounded afraid and not bothered to hide it when talking to him. So far, the only people she knew that can talk with the president without having to feel intimidated were her brother, Sasagawa-san, and the chief professor.

"Yes, I did." He answered smoothly. "Your reports. We have received five million euro from the instigator of the recent kidnapping-attempt of our star student. Is that true, treasurer?" Lambo flinched and stuttered a meek 'yes'. Chrome wanted to giggle, but she only held Lambo's hand with her own. The president never called Lambo with his name; it was always either herbivore or treasurer.

"It was also included in the reports that you have launched an attack towards the instigator, which was the CEDEF Industries, is that also true?" Chrome nodded. "Wao, interesting." She marveled at how the president's voice sounded like a sex god's own, but she receded and held Lambo's hand tighter as she hid her blush. "I would have liked to join the siege. When are you going to repair the laboratory?"

"As soon as possible, president. The head of environmental cleanliness, Takeshi Yamamoto and I have gotten the headmaster's permission and we will call Professor Innocenti to repair the laboratory. We will begin repairing as soon as we get the chief professor's consent." The president nodded. "Hn." He hummed in approval.

"Very good. Now, I wish to take a nap. Don't bother me. Treasurer, stay here and do your work." Lambo cringed and looked pleadingly towards Nagi, who shook her head.

"You are dismissed, Nagi Dokuro."

She left the room with a small bow and a smile towards Lambo, who looked like he was ready to cry.

Chrome exhaled in relief as she exited the room. Well, that didn't go too bad at all.

She smiled to herself and made her way to the library to get some books. After all, she had nothing to do this afternoon and she didn't feel like going to the chemistry class and study about the Uncertainty Principle the chief professor had drilled into her head last year.

But, she didn't expect her phone to vibrate at all. Who would be texting her in the school hours?

When she read the text, she clicked her tongue and took her silver staff from within her lab coat. Why must people try so hard to get her to do more intruder paper works?

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

Giotto was happy.

Of course he was. He was always happy whenever he thought of the neglected part of the Sawada family, Tsunayoshi Sawada.

Hey! He wasn't happy because the kid was neglected! It's not his fault that people found him as a manipulative git. Giotto was a pretty much a normal person; it was only because of his tendency to over-think his pranks thoroughly to make G suffer that people found him secretive. He needed to seem calm and tranquil if he didn't want people to see him laughing his guts out every time and he had to be slippery so G won't catch him doing anything.

Besides... Tsuna might be... Just might be...

Okay, Tsuna might be his son. Stop freaking out; he'll get to it soon.

How he got this suspicion? Okay, he'll elaborate.

Giotto was many things and stupid was one of them. When he was seventeen, he had made a terrific birthday bash in Vongola Hotel in which almost everyone was invited. He booked the entire hotel, including the bar, and as one thing led to another, he woke up naked with a headache and a girl in his chemistry class.

She was pretty, very much so. She was a Japanese scholarship student who had caught Giotto's attention on the dance floor. She was out of her lab coat and she happened to have a perfectly shaped body accented with a gorgeous and glittery little black dress. Well, who can resist an Asian girl with nice boobs and super smooth brown hair? Certainly not Giotto.

They both knew that it was definitely a one night stand though. She woke up a few minutes after Giotto, smiled and muttered a 'good morning' in Japanese, prepared a bottle of hangover pills, made him a pancake for breakfast and then left while thanking him. Now that he thought of it... why hadn't he been permanent with that girl? She was so perfect...

Well, long-story short, a letter came to his place, stating that she was pregnant with his son. Giotto panicked and he had run to G's house across the town with news that he was going to be a father. Ugetsu, G's roommate, was overjoyed. But G knew better. "Who did you knock up you moronic blond?" He had raged loudly.

At the same time, his mother, Lady Daniela del Vongola, came with a happy news that her beloved co-partner Iemitsu was expecting a baby.

But Giotto couldn't care less about that. He needed to find out if _she_ was okay, that lovely girl whose named slipped his mind was bearing _his_child. Giotto didn't like children, but he didn't hate them either.

That girl, now he was pretty sure that her name was Nene, had long brown hair that extended to her waist. She normally wore it in ponytail and she usually had glasses on, the typical science kid. He asked around the guys in his year.

Nene was a straight-laced Asian woman. She was stubborn and independent... and to think of it, Nene's letter had been written like it was a lab report or something. She only wrote something along the lines of 'I am pregnant with your son. I am fine and I have no intention of aborting it. Good day.'

Son... Son! Son! Son! He was going to be a dad to a son! It felt so unrealistic goddammit!

He asked his friend from the forensics, Alaude, to find where the hell Nene was. And eventually, nine months later, Alaude found her in Millefiore Hospital.

Coincidentally, the Sawadas were here as well. But again, he didn't care. He ran to Nene's room only to find her crying. Her older brother was the only one beside her bed. "Nene, darling, he came." The man said.

"Nene... What happened...?" According to the guys, Nene wasn't a touchy-feely person. She won't cry unless it was absolutely necessary. "M-my son..." She stammered. "They gave me a girl... And told me that my child is... is dead!" She cried again. Her older brother hugged her.

"I'm Tooru Minagawa, Nene's my only family. I appreciate your coming, kid. But can you please leave?" With that, Giotto bowed to Nene and her family, and left.

It was all chaos. He was just a kid and now he had a son. But then his son turned out to be a daughter and she died already. It was all too much for him to handle.

But then, he found it. His baby. The blond pressed his face to the baby-room, he saw a cute baby with his face and Nene's coloring sleeping so soundly. This must be his son.

But then the nurse came and took the blue-blanketed baby out of the room, Giotto inevitably followed her.

And guess which couple she brought the baby to? Yes, it was the Sawadas. But then he overheard Nana and Iemitsu's muttering.

"We were supposed to have a daughter... right?" Iemitsu mumbled.

"Hush dear!" Nana interrupted, but Giotto could see how Nana was also in doubt as she fed the baby.

That time, Giotto was scared. He was torn between the urge to just barge inside and said that it was probably his son and the shame of being a father at only seventeen years of age.

Nene's crying face flashed before him, but he couldn't say a thing. Not to mom's subordinate, not to anyone but his friends...

Giotto took a deep breath and resolved to be a better person and then be a father his son would be proud of.

Now, at his thirty-second year in this world and fifteen years after an incident he often forgot yet remained his life-goal, an opportunity had presented itself...

And he couldn't have been more proud when he found out that Tsunayoshi Sawada, someone with his face and the coloring of the only woman he truly loved, was an internet phenomenon, a genius chemist, and someone so dangerous.

Giotto was so happy that Tsuna had inherited his father's looks and his mother's brains... Even when Tsuna himself didn't know it.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

The head of Vongola was many things and stupid was _definitely _one of them. Here he was a mafia and a top CEO of one of the best Industries in the country, caught red-handed when he was sneaking inside a public school.

Sure, it was the Sicilia Scuola Pubblica, but still.

"Thank you for informing me about the intruder, Rillianne." The purple haired girl, the one who was pointing a silver staff at his neck, said to the blond girl with green streaks adoring her hair. "It was nothing, Nagi." She said with a grin. The blond girl played with her blond pigtails and grinned at Giotto before running away.

"So tell me… sir…" The purple-haired girl, Nagi, spoke really quietly. "What are you or, what were you going to do inside the lab? You know that unauthorized personnel are forbidden inside the lab, right?" She whispered, but it was still… frightening.

"I just wanted to see the chief professor…" Giotto said the truth. Lying would be a stupidity in this kind of situation. "Why? The professor hated to be watched during work… besides, he is absent today." The silver staff drew nearer to his neck. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, I was just curios, okay? I'm a fan of his website and I wanted to see him for real."

The purple haired girl narrowed her eye for a bit, but then lowered her staff. "If you want to see him, you should ask him first. Don't sneak here without permission. You were lucky that the one Rillianne called was me, if she called the D.C, you would be screaming your guts out now." The girl sighed. "And if you got caught, do you know that I'm the one who would have to make the reports? The head of security would just beat you up without writing the reports, after all…"

Giotto smiled. This was a good opportunity. He smiled. "I'm sorry, should we get some Starbucks Coffee as my apology?" The girl looked happy. "Starbucks? I haven't had those since ages! Make that Caramel Frappucino and I'll accept your apology." The blond laughed.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

"Dad, where's Onii?"

Iemitsu felt a stab within his heart when his adorable son asked that question. It made him felt like he was a failure. He didn't know how to answer that question, especially after what happened yesterday. Basil and Oregano had stopped screaming two days after Tsuna made them drink the Mammon's Misty Illusion, and he had apologized deeply to his subordinates, who said that it was okay.

"He's fine, Natsu, he really is."

He ruffled his son's hair. When the boy smiled and giggled, Iemitsu felt a twinge of something within his heart. Natsu had been the exact replica of Tsuna, only taller and younger, and yet the bundle of sunshine was smiling and giggling and acting very much like a child should. Now that he looked back at his parenting years, he had never seen Tsuna smiled like how Natsu did.

No, it wasn't just his smile. Iemitsu had never seen Tsuna laughed happily (maniacally, yes he heard it once) or even chattering about his friends and school life. He'd never seen Tsuna watch Doraemon or any other type of cartoon, the boy always had the Discovery Channel on TV at the rare days when _he _got the remote instead of Natsu.

He never bought Tsuna anything, but Tsuna never asked for it either, so he thought that it was fine. Unlike Natsu, who demanded presents every year, Tsuna was mostly silent on his birthday. The only day Iemitsu had seen his son out of the study on his birthday was when he turned twelve and showed him the nuclear sketches.

"Dad, it's my birthday soon!" Natsu chimed, and that brought Iemitsu away from his dilly-dallying. "Oh, yeah! Daddy knows that of course. You want the orange skateboard with turbo blasters on this year, right?" Natsu gasped happily at his father and hugged him. The brunet then went away and stormed Nana in the kitchen, saying how happy he was because Dad had remembered what he wanted.

With Natsuhiko, both Iemitsu and Nana could recite just about everything about him. His favorite color, personal strength, weaknesses, hobbies, friends, favorite food, likes and dislikes, dreams, embarrassing secrets, favorite clothes and so on. But when it came to Tsuna… none of them were able to say much about him. They both knew Tsuna as the quiet older brother without realizing the fact that the brunet had become stranger in his own family.

The only personal belonging Tsuna had was his clothes (even that was a shared closet with Natsu), his laptop, and a pet squirrel named Cosmo. And Nana said that a small girl named Aria had taken it at Tsuna's favor.

"But, Dad…" Natsuhiko said as Nana served them dinner. "I want Onii back. I don't need the skateboards if I can get Onii back." Both Iemitsu and Nana's face contorted into that of sadness. "Na-chan, we discussed about this, Tsu-chan is…" Nana lost her words; she looked towards Iemitsu immediately, as if asking for backup. Iemitsu obliged.

"That can't be done, little sunshine; your brother's busy now…" Iemitsu cringed at his own words, thinking back to yesterday, when Tsuna had told him that he was disappointed in him because he had selfishly decide for himself that Tsuna was abandoning his post as CEDEF's nuclear chemist. "Why? It's my birthday so Onii should have some time for me!"

_"I have no intention of backing down from my position as the nuclear chemist of CEDEF, even when I had left the accommodation you kindly gave me…"_

The accommodation Tsuna talked about was this house. This house where Iemitsu and Nana had raised him for the last fifteen years of the boy's life. Tsuna phrased everything like Iemitsu was just kindly letting the boy stay here because he was a colleague. It was… sickening.

"_Do you really think that lowly of us, Tsuna…?"_

"_Yes, I do."_

There's no way Tsuna would ever want to meet Natsu on his birthday. Oh wait; Tsuna's birthday was the same with Natsu's! It was certainly impossible…

"Dad?" Natsu asked again, but this time, Iemitsu only opened his arms and hugged his youngest son. "I'm sorry, Natsu, I'm so sorry…" Iemitsu longed for the day where he would be able to hug Tsuna like this and apologize to him.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

"It's your birthday soon." Skull-san looked so frantic that it was so adorable. "Well, yeah, but it doesn't matter anyways." It never did, because perfect Natsu's birthday was on the same day, after all. "It does!" Skull-san burst. Tsuna laughed at him.

"Seriously, Skull-san, it's okay. I usually celebrate it alone, or with Cosmo. Maybe with Verde. It doesn't matter." Tsuna said as he giggled. But, Skull-san looked uncertain and unconvinced.

"Skull-san-"

"Shut up, dame-Tsuna, I'm thinking."

Tsuna was a little bit startled at that. But he didn't mind. If it was the previous Skull-san, he would have begged forgiveness for snapping at him like that and not to tell him on to Uncle Reborn. But now he was being bratty without apologizing. That must be a good thing.

Again, blood rushed to his cheeks and ears. Tsuna was never a fan of biology, but it didn't change the fact that that branch of science was as deep and as interesting as the chemistry. There must be a reason why his heart beats twice as hard whenever he found what Skull-san did adorable…

The stuntman scratched the back of his head and looked at the brunet. "When's your birthday?" He asked. "October the Fourteenth." A day after Uncle Reborn's. Tsuna chuckled slightly at the fact that his uncle usually emailed him about his own birthday and demanded presents from him.

Skull-san thought hard. He looked really really uncertain, but he eventually relented and sighed.

"Okay, I'll take you to see my stunts on that day."

Tsuna grinned widely, clearly excited. Not just at the fact that he was going to see the man who was hated by the Grim Reaper life in action, but also because of the fact that someone was going to be with him during his birthday.

* * *

_**Next:**_

_**Fourth Stunt: Hoops of Fire.**_

* * *

**CLASSIC! Next chapter would be soooo classic! And there's not much Skull or Tsuna in this chapter XDX**

**Review reply:**

**Soul Vrazy – Scaaaaaary! Don't open my brains XDD**

**Yuna Claire Vessalius Kusanagi – Waah makasiih! Aku suka banget sama Tsuna yang pinter, asik banget nulisnya XD Yaaah belom bisa moe sih Tsuna-nya, soalnya masih baru dia yang nyadar kalo dia suka sama Skull. Nanti pas Skull juga udah nyadar… hehehehe :3 Iya aku juga ketawa banget waktu nulis bagiannya Luce sama Bermuda. Bermuda usil nan romantis :3**

**SelfcreatedCharacter – I looooove writing that moment! Tsuna was all like moe radiating with all blushing and 'Skull-san…' I pictured him with a face that was ready to get kissed an all but Skull was all like 'WTF IS GOING ON I'M SO NERVOUS THIS IS SO AWKWARD' instead XDDD**

**That's Riku – Thank youuu~**

**R3iga1004 – Thank you! I hope this chapter made up for the jumpiness I made you feel! XD**

**Yuu3 – That's the whole reason why Skull saw him as a kid, a younger version of himself that had suffered under his own family. Skull was saved by Viper, who introduced him to Luce. He felt all déjà vu when he saved Tsuna, whom he knew from Reborn, and not a romantic interest… at least for now teehee~ Yaaa! I love Bermuda too! He's really fun to write in this universe!**

**Narutopokefan – I hope you like this chapter! There wasn't any moments like the amusement park though, but the next chapter will have moments that'll leave you feel like "Awwww Skull and Tsuna is soooo cute!" XDDD**

**Sylvia-san – Troll is my middle name! XD I hope this chapter met your expectations!**

**Nekokratik – I really hope that this chapter meets your enthusiasm! And thank you! I love Joker! Bermuda, he's dressed like a baby magician and I can't stop thinking about him making various pranks and all XDDD**

**Well, I think that's all! Please review~**


	11. Fourth Stunt: Hoops of Fire

_**Fourth Stunt: Hoops of Fire.**_

* * *

_Viper always looked at that one. That idiot-looking one with stupid leather suit and a stupid octopus helmet. That one who flaunted about almost everything in his disposal with such a sad and lonely pair of eyes._

_Call it strange as you might, but he found himself wooed by the man's weirdness. The way he spoke loudly so people would notice him, the way he made things up so people will call him weird, and the most interesting of all: the way he eyed everything with such sadness, kindness, jealousy, and possessiveness…_

_Viper Indigo was definitely wooed._

_So right here, right now, as the purple-haired one sat beside him in math…_

"_I'm the greatest Skull de Mort, the immortal stuntman, who's this insignificant kid sitting beside me?" _

_Instead of ignoring him like almost everyone did, Viper did something else._

"_My name is Viper Indigo. Now that I've told you my name, you've signed a contract to buy me lunch."_

_That was a start of friendship for both boys, and also a start of life-long crush for Viper._

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

"The Prince here doesn't get you, Mammon," The illusionist didn't stop and he kept on walking, but the blond man behind him kept on following him. "Why didn't you do this? Why didn't you go after the nuclear bounty?" Nuclear bounty, a code Varia used for the Vongola-CEDEF joint mission. Viper stopped in his tracks and lowered his hood.

The self-proclaimed prince stood beside him and showed his trademark cheshire grin. "Nuclear bounty has one hundred million euro for his pretty little head, you wouldn't miss this for the world! Ushishishi." Viper looked down and narrowed his eyes. "Precisely…" He muttered lazily before going on in his way.

"What? What do you mean by 'precisely'? Wait, Mammon! Where are you going?" Belphegor kept on following him like some sort of undefeatable pest. "I'm going to drink in Giglio Nero bar. Don't follow me, Bel." His eyes glinted in pure irritation. "That bar isn't even open yet. Oh right, you were the Ar-Mer."

Viper spun on his heels and faced the knife-wielding man bravely. "I'm still Ar-Mer, and I'll always be." As Viper took out the test tube contained the Mammon's Misty Illusion and broke it, he fled the Varia headquarters…

…only to met with a certain annoying man clad in red Chinese clothing on his way to the bar.

"Ah, Viper," the annoying man bowed slightly as he greeted the illusionist. "Still fashioning the most ancient way of travel, very impressive." See? Viper couldn't stand this guy for the life of him. Was he mocking the illusionist because he disliked going on public (paying) transportations?

"Shut up, Fon, I'm not in the mood to listen to your preach. Besides, it's free."

The man exhaled deeply. "I am not preaching, my friend, I am simply complimenting you for your healthy choice of transportation." He said slowly. "Look, Fon, could you just fuck off? I'm on my way to Giglio Nero bar and I'm in a hurry." Viper said threateningly. "Please watch your language, my friend, I do not wish for my little one to hear such a foul thing to say."

To his surprise, a girl no older than eight years old popped out from behind the rambling chinese. She had black hair tied in two braids and jet black eyes. She clutched Fon's white pants as if it was her lifeline. "Mister! Bad word! Says!" The small girl pointed at him as she spouted her words in jumbled Italian.

"Hoo, what is it and where did you buy it? Is it pricey?" Viper commented lazily. The girl flinched and hugged Fon's pants even harder. "She is not an item," Fon said, still keeping his calm. "Her name is I-Pin and I just adopted her from the Millefiore Orphanage."

That meant Fon considered making her his disciple. Children who came from the Millefiore Orphanage were usually victim of human-trafficking by the mafia. It was said that the only children Millefiore allowed to live in their orphanage were children who showed great potential of becoming a mafia as well. And if they weren't adopted until the age seventeen, they will automatically be a member of Millefiore. It could be the Hospital member, the staff at the orphanage, worker of Millefiore Corporation, or even a mafioso/mafiosa of Millefiore Famiglia

"Hmm, I don't care." Viper hummed lazily. "What a great coincidence. I was just introducing her to our Luce and I am on my way to take her out for some shopping. Our dear Luce said that she will call you to hand over a ticket to one of Skull's stunts." Viper's heart skipped a beat. He lowered his hood so the Chinese pair won't see the pink on his face. "Hula hoops! Fire! Scaru!"

"No, little one, it's 'Skull' not 'Scaru'. But yes, as I-Pin said, apparently the stunt was to jump across hoops of fire." Fon petted the small girl's hair, making her giggle and spouted nonsense jumbly words Aria made when she was happy, only in Chinese.

"Oh, I see, can I leave now? I want to see Luce." Viper sighed. Why did he have to meet with his least-favorite member of Arcobaleno? "By any means, my friend, please don't make me stop you." Viper left and he can see the girl and Fon waved at him. "See you on Fourteenth, Viper!"

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

Viper finally reached the Giglio Nero bar. He had walked here all the way from the Varia headquarters across the town because he had no ride and it was such a waste of money to ride taxi or any other form of transportation.

The bell tingled merrily when he opened the door, making the bar-owner greeted him happily.

"Ah, Viper, welcome back."

Sometimes, it puzzled him how Luce seemed to know who had come to her bar just by the way they opened the door. Well, he definitely knew if it was Colonnello or Skull, since they opened the door like baboon stomping through forest, but the others? It was a mystery.

"You met Fon, didn't you?" Another thing that came after being Luce's friend for years was the fact that you have to accept the way she just knew everything, even before you did. The illusionist sighed and sat on the nearest stool.

Luce took out an indigo colored cup poured tea to the tea. She added a sugar cube and passed it to the second-youngest member of Arcobaleno gently. "This tea is called Russian Caravan, my husband brought this from Russia. I hope it's to your liking." She smiled gently.

Viper drank the tea quietly, well, it tasted good, since it was free and all. The lady of Giglio Nero then searched the cabinet and gave a slip of paper to Viper. "The ticket to Skull's stunts. He had it sent here because he knew I will be able to distribute it to our members." Viper took it and examined the purple ticket. It was October the Fourteenth. So that's what Fon meant by 'see you on Fourteenth'.

"You've never missed any of Skull's grand show, Viper dear, when are you going to tell him about your feelings?" Viper stilled in his place. Luce was the only person aside from himself who knew about Viper's feelings about the stuntman. She wasn't a blabbermouth, so it was pretty much the same as nobody knew about it, but still…

"I won't destroy our friendship as much as I won't ever give my bank account's password to anyone." Viper said as he took another sip of the Russian Caravan. Its distinctive smoky flavor invaded his entire body warmly. Luce sighed sadly. "I won't force you, but, the future you asked me to see is still the same…"

She poured the tea to her own orange cup and inhaled the smoky scent. "The thing is about future, Viper, it won't change if you don't do anything to break its fragile uncertainty." Luce took a sip of her tea. "You won't end up with him if you don't tell him, Viper. Skull might be a pompous adult who thinks like a child, but he isn't stupid. He will think about your feelings as carefully as he can…"

Viper was silent. He couldn't say anything. If it was true… would things end up differently? If he said what he felt to Skull, would their friendship stayed as it was? Viper didn't even know if Skull was homosexual, or if he was homophobic. That was one of the reasons Viper didn't tell him. He was afraid that Skull was actually a homophobic and he will shun the illusionist away. Whether he liked it or not, Skull was his only precious person that he was willing to risk everything away for.

Sure, he liked Luce, the other Arcobaleno, and Tsunayoshi Sawada, who created his beloved Mammon's Misty Illusion, but he won't ever risk his money and treasure for them. If Skull was kidnapped and he was asked for ransom, he'd probably spent every penny without any regret.

"Ugh, why do I have to feel this way for him…?" Viper groaned. He gulped down the tea and asked for seconds. Luce giggled as she poured the tea for him. "Why not, Viper dear? I think it's beautiful."

Viper looked up to his childhood friend. He'd known Luce ever since he was just a kid. And he knew that she was a kind person who wished for people's happiness as well as world peace like a saint, but he never knew that she thought that relationship between two men was beautiful.

"What do you think, Luce?" He asked, unable to contain his curiosity. But the illusionist immediately lowered his hood after that. Curiosity was pricey and if Luce was a client of Varia, Viper probably had asked for an information and would need to pay for it.

The lady of Giglio Nero only smiled. "You two are the younger brothers I wanted, but never had." Wait, what? Viper didn't ask about that. What he wanted to know was what Luce thought about homosexual relationship. "And if my younger brothers were to love each other, no matter what the way, I will always think that it was beautiful." She smiled as she petted Viper's black hood.

After a long silence and three cups of teas later, Viper sighed. "Do you really think that it would be fine?" Luce nodded with a gentle smile across her face. "Okay then… I'll try to talk with the idiot after he finished that stunt of his."

And he would. He would definitely tell him. Even though Skull was the one who will charge through the hoops of fire, Viper would too. Only what he charged was the hoops of fire, the doubts, within his heart.

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

Skull tried to steel himself before the seemingly huge metallic double doors where a certain crazy professor lived. This place had changed a lot since their college days. Before, it was just an ordinary condo, but now that Verde had purchased the entire floor for himself, it was turned into a true den of mad scientist.

The stuntman gulped nervously as he rang the bell to his friend's house. "H-hello~" He said nervously.

"_Who's there?"_

Fancy stuff! Skull's condo didn't have those fancy receiver thingy. He had to check all of his guests manually. He marveled at the fancy thing distractedly.

"_Don't show such a pathetic display of amazement over something this mundane, wimpy Skull. I'll open the door."_

When the door opened, Skull had expected Verde himself or a lab assistant to open it, but it turned out to be an automatic door (another fancy stuff) and the one who greeted him was Keiman, who growled lowly.

Skull was instantly alert. This green monstrosity had once bitted Oodako's wheel until it was damaged beyond repair! While it's true that Oodako wasn't a living being and he didn't need to worry that his partner would die, it still hurt him deeply to have seen such a tragedy!

The stuntman stepped backwards as the alligator's yellow eyes fixed itself on his figure, clearly intimidated. But unexpectedly, he bumped into something metallic.

The stuntman gasped loudly as he remembered this particular metal table. One of the most prominent reasons that he did _not _want to come to Verde's place. It was an old piece of furniture and it had rusts on it, but Verde didn't replace it.

"It's my first experimental table, it has got a sentimental value," the professor walked in as he scribbled something on his clipboard. "Come here, Keiman." The alligator obeyed Verde's words immediately. He slithered (do crocodiles slither? Skull wasn't really sure) passed him and collided his snout to Verde's foot. "Now, now, don't be so wary, Keiman. He's not a threat."

The green-haired professor tossed the clipboard to the sofa and crouched to pet his green alligator. Keiman growled again, and this time, Skull knew that it was happy.

"Now, to what do I owe a misfortune to be visited by the Grim Reaper's hated stuntman?"

Skull took a deep breath and crossed his arms, trying to contain the shivering that errupted from his entire body. "It's going to be the Fourteenth soon…" he began, quite unsure. "Oh, yes, I've received the ticket to your Mort Games show from Luce just this morning. Are you here to remind me about it?" Skull shook his head. "I…" he took another deep breath. And steeled himself even further.

"Say, V-Verde," he opened his eyes and stared straight at the onyx-colored eyes. "What do you think I should get for Tsuna's birthday?"

There. He said the question.

* * *

_**Next:**_

_**Hydrogen chloride.**_

"_Why are you putting words in my mouth, Mom?"_

"_T-that's not what I meant, Tsu-chan!"_

* * *

**Classic plot development! Love rival for our genius chemist who still needs to realize his love for our wimpy stuntman appears! Will Skull accept Viper? Will Tsuna be heartbroken? What will Skull get for Tsuna? Many questions to be unfold!**

**Next chapter is a confrontation between Tsuna and you-know-who! And he will meet with a familiar stranger lady with lab coats on Skull's Mort Games show! Be excited!**

**Review reply:**

**Soul Vrazy - You caaan't! If I give you my brain, I won't be able to write stories XD and yes,**** Tsuna ****and Cosmo will meet! Well, of course he'll know! How he knows? That's for me to know and for you to find out!**

**Yuu3 - Thanks! Normally, I don't write or read Giotto as Tsuna's family because I like him more as our chemist's love interest, but I wanted to try something new in this story! I'm glad you liked it! And yep, Reborn emailed him on the Thirteenth to make Tsuna know that Reborn remembered his birthday. In fact, I'll give you an example of the email...**

To: tsuna27nuclear  
From: hitmanreborn

Dearest nephew,

Today is Thirteenth of October and as we all know it, a national holiday celebrating my birthday. I expect my presents to be delivered to my estate by no later than tomorrow, which is the Fourteenth of October. If you forget, I will kill you.

-R  
**  
****...kind of like that! XD**

**demons of ragriz - Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this update!**

**Tenshi-Oujosama - Thanks! I was all giddy too when I wrote it XD**

**R3iga1004 - They're sooo cute! I love how Chrome and Lambo interacts in canon, Lambo was all like "Mwahahaha! I'm Lambo-sama" while Chrome was all like "Uhn..." Opposites attracts! So hehehe~**

**Narutopokefan - I'm waiting to write the moment when his real parent told him the truth as well!**

**Yuna Claire Vessalius Kusanagi - Hahaha doanya disimpen buat chapter depan ya ;) iya nih! Chapter lalu itu super plot-twist banget! Aku juga lega nulisnya!**

**frBalloon - Thanks! I love writing this Tsuna too! And thank you for trying out yaoi with my story!**

**SelfcreatedCharacter - Kyaaa! Thanks for realizing how adorable Skull can be! And the switcheroo is obviously schemed! I hinted so much with 'Millefiore Hospital' make your guess~ XD**

**TotalAmuto - Nice idea! *writes a scene when Tsuna already knew that Giotto's his dad*****  
**  
"Dad, I wonder how I can make Skull-san like me...?" Giotto's hands stopped dead on his tracks. He looked up from his paperworks and shot a curious glare to his son. "I mean, well, I don't know. I'm average-looking, a science freak, and all I'm good at is chemistry." The brunet pouted. "Skull-san will never like me..."

Giotto sighed. It appears that Tsuna inherited more than just Nene's brains, he inherited her obliviousness to her looks as well. "Come here, son, I'll teach you a thing or two."

And so, Tsuna walked out from his father's office feeling much more confident about his looks. After all, his dad had landed himself on so many weird and happy occasions with his male or female partner with that look of his.

**...like so! XDDD**

**PhantomHitman1412 - I like Chrome and Lambo, they're like the opposite sides of magnets! And Sicilia Scuola Pubblica is an essentially school to build mafia (with its direct association with Vindice) and its curriculum was made by both Italian government (since it _is_ a public school) and Vindice itself, so of course they won't mind being run with dirty money XD To answer your question about 9th Famiglia: nope, I don't hate them. And as you said, it's more interesting to write Primo Famiglia (and easier as well) than Nono's Famiglia. But as a background here, Timoteo is Giotto's grandfather and Daniela's dad. He'll show up some time XD**

**magicalgirl-hibiki - Thank you! And yes they are cuuuute!**

**Sylvia-san - Nonono! It's not a mistake and it's not accidental, and it's definitely not a messed-up name! It's aaaall plotted XDD**

**SexiFoxxFace - Thank you! And lol don't worry, this fic still has many things to unfold for it to end soon! XD**

**Well, I think that's all!**

**Please review~**


	12. Hydrogen chloride

_**Hydrogen chloride.**_

* * *

"Surprises, surprises, what are you doing here, Chief Professor?" Rillianne smiled as she threw the cards she was holding to the bearskin carpet on the floor. The blue-eyed girl had to say that the little brunet looked utterly out of place in Trumps, the hanging spot of the Blackjacks gambler and the most fancy-looking room in Sicilia Scuola Pubblica with the golden coloring and all the expensive stuff within it.

The Chief Professor didn't say anything, but made himself comfortable by sitting on the largest armchair in the room. His two subordinates, Hayato Gokudera and Takeshi Yamamoto moved to his right and left side respectively.

"The club leader Lambo is in the middle of student council work, so I'm the one in charge. Is there something you need from me?" Rilli crossed her legs, revealing her slightly tanned thighs to the boys. "Cover your damn legs, woman!" The silver-head said with a horridly cute tone.

"Ooh you're blushing! How cuuute!" She cooed to the silver-head, who tossed his head immediately. "So, what do you want from me, Chief Professor?" She asked, twirling one of her pigtails playfully. "You want me to gamble for you? Increase your money tenfold? Which is it?" She put her head on the little brunet's lap seductively.

Tsunayoshi Sawada remained unfazed, but petted her head nonetheless. "No, no, I need your _other _specialty." Rillianne giggled. Not many people knew her other specialty. She was a master of disguise; she had been in and out of the Sicily police force with nobody knowing anything. With her photographic memory, she was the best spy Sicilia Scuola Pubblica had. She even ran some errands for the principal.

"Very well, tell me who you want me to infiltrate and what do you want to know." The brunet smiled in return. "I want you to go within the CEDEF, and find two people named Basil and Oregano. Report their condition to me." Rilli nodded. She knew them; those two were the idiots who got disciplined by the D.C for intruding and damaging the laboratory.

"And my reward?" She stretched her hand. The brunet gave her a purple slip of paper. "Tickets to the Mort Games… but this is October the Thirteenth, the show is tomorrow! AWESOME! You sure know how to strike a deal, Chief!"

Rillianne thought that it was an absolute truth. The Chief Professor is great, because each and every one of his deals involved a nice reward and thrilling situations. And in Rilli's opinion, only those thrills can rival the thrills of gambling.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

_Tsuna was sleepy, very much so, but he couldn't willingly fall asleep before he checked all of his chemicals. Luckily, Skull-san had bought a new refrigerator only for his chemicals. The stuntman was so generous._

_The brunet's ears went pink at the thought. Recently, the admiration he had always had for the wimpy adult who'd saved him from his family had been flaring like crazy. Tsuna had wanted to _see_ more, _know_ more, and _touch_ the stuntman more. The adult was the cutest nerve-wreck he'd ever seen. It was ridiculous, yet intriguing._

_The stuntman looked undoubtedly tougher than Tsuna, but he was more... fragile than the brunet was.__He snorted to himself.__When Tsuna made sure that all of his chemicals were right on their places, he yawned and made his way to his bedroom. But… he heard something from the stuntman's room._

_The brunet had never been inside Skull-san's room before. The stuntman slept on the couch practically everyday after all. He stood in front of the door silently, daring himself to venture deeper. "Ughhhh…" He was really worried. What happened to Skull-san? Is he all right? Is he okay? He knew that he just called the stuntman fragile, but that was referring to how much of nerve-wreck he was, not how weak he was._

_The chemist took a deep breath and opened the door. As he expected, Skull-san's room was painted purple. There were many posters of motocross, some of them were of him, and the others were from other stuntmen. There was a plasma television and DVD player, along with a complete home theatre. His bed was king-sized, also with purple sheets, and he was lying there face down._

_As he had predicted, the stuntman was still using his full attire. But what he didn't predict was the stuntman's whimpers. "Ugh, ahh, sorry… sorry…" Tsuna sat on the edge of the bed, examining his roommate carefully. "Skull-san…?" He chimed. The brunet knew that Skull-san wouldn't wake with only a chime. After all, the man was such a heavy sleeper._

"_Medea…" Tsuna's eyes widened. _

_Why would Skull-san whisper that name? Tsuna knew her; Medea de Mort was in a sense Natsuhiko Sawada in Skull-san's life. But, why would he whisper that name? "Medea… I'm sorry…" Tears leaked from the stuntman's closed eyes. Tsuna trembled. Why would he apologize? Why should he apologize? It really confused him. _

_Really, even in slumber, Skull-san managed to puzzle him._

_Tsuna moved his hand to comfort the stuntman's cowering figure. When he was about to stroke Skull-san's face, he was pulled into a hug instead. "I'm sorry…" He whispered. _

_Red exploded on Tsuna's face, even more apparent than it was before. He desperately tried to hide it, but he didn't want to leave from the stuntman's embrace. He sighed and opened his eyes, enjoying the closeness of their faces._

_Skull-san was so… _pretty_. He didn't understand why he chose that word, but Skull-san kind of suited it. His face was still smudged by his daily purple makeup, his chain dangled mischievously, even in his sleep. Even though he was asleep, his brows furrowed deeply and there were tears on his face._

_Curiosity got the better of him when he decided to touch the stuntman's exotic face with his hand. Tsuna ran a hand on his chain, and eventually he continued to his jaw, his neck and finally stopped on his chest._

_He never slept together with people like this. Because he had been sleeping on Iemitsu's study's floor for as long as he could remember. He disliked people's company, and even more so when he actually slept inside his (joint) room, his brother would find it convenient to snuck inside his bed and hug him like he was a bolster. He had complained to Nana about it, but she only said that it was adorable. Adorable or not, it didn't change the fact that he woke up feeling sore because his brother had hug him like he was a comfort pillow._

_Suddenly, Skull-san hugged him tighter, actually making Tsuna's face collide with his chest. His face turned even redder as the stuntman snored lightly. _

_The chemist eventually smiled and snuggled closer to the stuntman's chest, thinking of how lucky he was to have ventured deeper into the stuntman's room._

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

Tsuna never felt _happy_ in his life. And yes, it was true. When Verde or Uncle Reborn praised him, or when his inventions worked, or when his weapons were nearing perfection, he wasn't _happy_, he was just proud.

Verde and Uncle Reborn, no matter how close they were, didn't need him. Nobody did. Natsuhiko claimed the otherwise, but Tsuna knew better. How could someone be _happy _when nobody ever heard what he or she needed to say?

He knew that hate was a strong word, which was why he never used it against anyone. But… happy? Well, to Tsunayoshi Sawada, the word happy was just as strong as the word hate.

He never felt like he did now. His stomach was flipping, and his whole body was shivering, never. He was so... _overwhelmed_. If these were what the word _happy _was described with, he would be so willing to be happy all the time.

He dangled his feet as he waited on the sofa. Skull-san had texted him, saying that he'd be home soon and they'll be going to the Lucifer dome to watch his stunts. Tsuna was so excited. He never felt this happy, especially on his birthday, the day when he would desperately try to convince himself that he didn't hate his family.

When the bell rang, Tsuna jumped off of the sofa and opened it. He hoped that Skull-san wouldn't think that he was overdressed with the black jeans, white t-shirt that has purple paint splatter as its motives, and a white leather jacket that has similar cuts with his lab coat.

"Skull-san! Do you want to take shower first before go-"

"T-Tsu-chan,"

Wait, what? Skull-san never called him that. Nobody called him Tsu-chan, besides his... _family._

His thought immediately drifted to the day Skull-san ever said anything about his past. Tsuna had been curious and he wanted to know. Skull-san told him about the day his father came to see him after he had left the house.

_"I felt really sick, like he just punched me on my stomach. I felt like yelling, but I couldn't. I could only just stand there and stare as he droned about how much he_ _thought that he was wrong and I was actually the best son ever. That he loved Medea and I, and both he and my mother loved me. I couldn't stand it, so I slammed the door on his face, puked my guts out, and cried myself to sleep. Uncool, huh?"_

_"N-no... No way."_

_"Well, I hope you get to do it coolly. I sucked so bad, now I really hope I could return to that day, despite all the pain, and tell my dad to go fuck himself."__  
_  
Fire burned on his chest as he saw a woman with his own coloring standing nervously in front of his current residence, his _home. __  
_  
But he knew that this was it. A chance that Skull-san had wasted, and he can help the stuntman atone his regrets.

He took a deep breath, trying to break the ice. But, his _mother _beat him to it. "Hi… Tsu-chan…" she said; anxiety was so clear in her eyes that Tsuna had wanted to laugh. She smiled nervously, trying to overcome it. "Am I interrupting something?" She continued.

_Be calm, Tsuna, be cool._

"Not really," he said nonchalantly. "But, I must admit that I am expecting someone and you are not him." Tsuna replied as calmly as he could. Though, he was wondering what this was all about. Out of all people, Nana Sawada was the last person in his mind that he expected to confront him directly. Iemitsu? Yes, understandable, since he was his father and he was also the leader of CEDEF. Natsuhiko? Also understandable, since that kid was an asinine moron who thought that the world revolved around him. But Nana? It was out of his prediction since even when Nana was his mother; they didn't have any other relation to tie them.

"I just came by to see how you were, Tsu-chan," she said nervously. "I brought some bentou in case you haven't eaten." She showed him a neatly wrapped three-tiered box with a smile on her face. Tsuna shivered. He didn't want her here, because it made him uncomfortable. But he couldn't throw her out. If he did, he'll lose the chance of ever confronting his family and made it clear that he _wasn't _unwanted and he had a better family that _wanted _him.

"In this household, we don't get to eat handmade food a lot," partial truth. Both he and Skull-san can at least cook spaghetti or eggs and made it edible. But if they wanted a great homemade food with hearty and healthy choices of menu, they will go to Luce-san's place. "I suppose I will take it. Please come in." He had kept his tone as neutral and calm as possible.

Nana Sawada entered the house quietly and followed him to the dining table. She put the bentou on top of the table. "Have a seat," Tsuna asked, but his tone was piercing cold that Nana perceived it as an order. She sat down on the seat Tsuna usually used.

Tsuna opened the food-fridge and took two cans of calpico from within. He put one of them in front of his mother before plopping down in Skull-san's seat.

The woman looked generally awkward, as much as he was. But since this was his territory, he felt undeniably better than her.

They both sat in front of each other, and Tsuna noticed that the air around them was shouting the word 'AWKWARD' like it was a chant. The male brunet then took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. "I'm not stupid… I know you came here to talk." He drank the calpico to calm himself.

The female brunette flinched, but then opened the can herself. "Tsu-chan… I… please come back home." He knew that this would happen. He had prepared himself mentally for this, but it didn't stop him from seething inwardly when it actually happened. "Na-chan has been worried, and so did Iemitsu and I. We- we noticed that we didn't give you as much attention as we gave Na-chan. But, Na-chan is just a child, surely you understand that he needed more attention than a big child such as yourself, right?"

Tsuna didn't say a thing. He didn't even move. Apparently, Nana took this as he cue to continue. "I know that you feel unwanted, Tsu-chan, I do. That's why I'm here, asking you to return. Just give us one more chance, okay honey? Iemitsu and I know that Tsu-chan is actually a good kid who wanted to be spoiled. You don't actually want to be apart from our family, ne? Please. If you return, we would be the perfect family you always wanted, Tsu-chan, we will."

Tsuna couldn't believe his ears. A perfect family? To be spoiled? He didn't want all those things! It was far too late! Now, in his fifteenth year of age, he _had _the perfect family. He and Skull-san, and by extensions, the other Arcobaleno! _They're _the perfect family! His mother figure was Luce, father figure was Reborn, and the others were just as irreplaceable as them, especially Skull-san, his savior.

Did this woman really think that the reason he left their home, slamming the door to their faces was just because he _wanted to be spoiled_? To be a part of a family that _didn't even want or know him_?

Tsuna felt tears on his eyes dripped slowly. "Why are you putting words in my mouth, Mom?"

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

Nana could feel her heart wrenched when she saw tears on his eldest son's face. It wasn't leaking; it was just there, slowly dripping from eyes that were identical to her own brown ones. "T-that's not what I meant, Tsu-chan!" She stated, clearly panicked.

She never felt this panic if little Na-chan was the one crying. Probably because she knew that her little sunshine would be fine as long as she comforted him. The reason she felt really panicked this time… was probably because she'd never seen Tsuna cried before.

"If that's not what you meant, then what is?" The boy, _her son_, said with shaky voice. "You said it yourself. 'Na-chan has been worried', will you be here had Na-chan didn't worry?" Nana flinched. And Tsuna wiped the tears off of his face. "Could you please leave? As I said earlier, I didn't expect to see you here, especially today. I actually thought I'd be happy today, so could you please not ruin it?" Tsuna stood up, grabbed her wrist and showed her to the door.

"Please, leave." Her heart wrenched in the harshest way possible. Tears made its way to her eyes. "Tsu-chan, it's Na-chan's birthday today." She said, nearly sobbing. "Please come and see him, even just for a bit, Tsu-chan!" She wailed.

She believed that her son would actually listened, but he stopped dead in his tracks instead. "Tsu-chan?" She asked, hope lacing her tiny voice. Color was drained from Tsuna's face, but when they were about to reach the door, someone had opened it from the outside, beating Tsuna to it.

"Oooi dame-Tsuna, happy birthday! Got you a little present before we go to the Lucifer… dome…" Nana recognized this person. His name was Skull de Mort and he was Reborn's acquaintance. But, what surprised her was his sentence…

Birthday…?

"Skull-san!" Tsuna had let go of her hand, a perfect smile on his face, and went to hug the man. "Skull-san… Skull-san…" He had sounded so relieved, he was smiling, he was _happy_.

Nana couldn't stand the sight that her son found comfort in someone else, and ran away from the spot.

"Um…" She could hear the man said amidst her tears and broken sobs. "Did I do something wrong?"

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

"I love you so much. I want to marry you." She shook her head, like she always did for the last fifteen (and now sixteen) years. "I'm sorry, Giotto, but no." Nene Minagawa said solemnly. The blond man looked disappointed, like he always did for the last sixteen years. This day, Fourteenth of October, was always the day Giotto proposed to her… to be his wife.

And it was also the day she never accepted his proposal.

"I'm glad I can see you this year too, Giotto." She said calmly. "Me too," the blond replied as he placed his lips on top of her cheek. Honestly, they were both in love. Giotto loved Nene as much as Nene loved Giotto. But… Nene vowed to herself that she would never marry until she found her son.

Nene knew that the dead girl they showed her all those years was not her beloved son. Her son was still very much alive, and she knew it. The Japanese had never been a mother before her supposedly dead child, but she just knew it.

"Thank you for the lunch, it was great." She smiled. Giotto nodded. "Well, here we are. I hope you enjoy this year's Mort Games, Nene." Giotto asked her to close her eyes and kissed her lips. Her smile went even wider and she waved him a goodbye.

Little did Nene Minagawa know that she would found her life-goal here, inside the Mort Games.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

"I did it…" Tsuna whispered to the man's chest, clearly excited. "I did it, Skull-san, I did it!" He looked at the stuntman in the eyes. Skull-san was clearly confused, but he smiled nonetheless. "Did what?" He asked. Tsuna held up two fingers and made a peace sign. "I did it coolly!" He grinned.

Skull-san furrowed his eyebrows, but then eventually gasped. "That was your mom, wasn't it?" Tsuna grinned in return. "AWESOME!" The chemist got pulled into a bear hug.

His face went into a darker shade of red. In the name of all atoms, he needed to stop this. He shouldn't burst into red whenever he came in contact with Skull-san! He didn't understand it and it wasn't comfortable. But he didn't feel unhappy because of it.

"As a reward for your awesomeness and everything, I'm giving you your present now." The stuntman said with an impish grin. He took out a small box with purple and orange stripes wrapping. He shivered, clearly excited with having a birthday present given to him directly like this. Usually, his presents were given a day late by posts.

When he opened the wrapping and the metallic box, he gasped happily. "Skull-san! Is this…?" The stuntman grinned as he took out a pair of Jolly Roger (without the actual flag, only the skull and bones) shaped earrings. Its color was silvery gray bordering on metallic-white and it shone brilliantly as the lights hit the skulls. "Verde said you'll like it, I actually bribed him into helping me pick these."

"This is… Titanium…" Tsuna marveled at the substance. Titanium: a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number twenty-two. It has a low density and was a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant (including sea water, aqua regia and chlorine) transition metal with a silver color and it was also said that due to its extremely useful properties, it could be sold even higher than gold.

"I hope you like the Jolly Roger. I think its cool." Skull-san added sheepishly. Tsuna didn't know what to say. He was just so overwhelmed by everything. Happy. He was happy. But why was he crying? "W-whoa! If you don't like it I'll dispose of it, p-please don't cry!" He shook his head fiercely. He loved it! He really _really _loved it! But he couldn't help but cry.

"I-I don't know why I'm crying, but I'm happy, Skull-san! I really am!" He said with shaky voice. "Or, um, do you hate being pierced? You don't need to wear it if you don't want to." The stuntman murmured. Tsuna shook his head. "N-no, I'll wear it." The chemist examined his roommate's features excitedly. Skull-san had piercings on several parts of his face.

He had one near his right eyebrow, under his lips, and the one on his lips actually had chain to connect with the piercing on his ear. Tsuna was excited to know that he could actually get pierced; he could have something in common with his roommate. "C'mere, I'm great at this." Tsuna sat down on the sofa and Skull-san kneeled in front of him.

The stuntman applied some alcohol to his ears and he cleaned the piercing needles with alcohols. "It's sterile already, but just in case…" Skull-san murmured to himself. He cleaned his hands with disinfectant and put a pebble behind Tsuna's ear. "This will hurt." Tsuna nodded and he braced himself.

Skull-san stuck the piercing needle smoothly through his ear until all the way through. He wiggled the needle, and then kept it bent at an angle. He left the Titanium in Tsuna's ear for at least five minutes with ice. He wiped the little bits with tissue, leaving Tsuna cringe at the pain

"Does it hurt?" He asked sincerely. Tsuna nodded, but he showed a thumb to the stuntman, reassuring him. He repeated the whole process once more with his other ear. "That didn't look too bad." He smiled. Tsuna clenched his fists, utterly curious at his new jewelry. He had never been pierced before, and this was out of his prediction. He never thought that he'd get a piercing.

"Well, we have to go now. I guess I'll just shower in the dome. Let's go, dame-Tsuna." Skull stood up with a grin on his face. His purple eyes flitted to Tsuna's ears, and he looked utterly pleased. Tsuna smiled at the stuntman, gratitude and happiness reflected on his eyes. Only Skull-san would be able to wash out all of his earlier rage towards his mother with few simple gestures.

Skull-san ran around the condo, grabbing his calpico and his helmet. Tsuna stopped in front of the mirror beside the door. He stared at his own reflection, clearly noticing the metallic substance on his still-red ears. Jolly Roger… he wondered if it suited him. But he knew for sure that Titanium suited him.

"It suits you, Tsuna," the stuntman behind him said with a grin. "And I like your outfit, it's cool. Let's go?" Tsuna smiled, clearly didn't regret all those hours he spent in front of the mirror, and took the stuntman's hand. "Let's go!"

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

Tsuna parted from Skull-san in front of the dome. The stuntman instructed him to go to the VIP seats, and he did. Skull-san said that he'd invited the Arcobaleno, but they won't show up from the first stunt to the finish, they'll come in the middle of the show.

But Tsuna didn't mind. He sat down on the front row of the VIP seats and stared to the arena before him. It was full of dirt and steep grounds. There was a horridly steep soil and under it, there were cars, and about a long distance, a landing spot. Tsuna could feel himself shiver.

He instinctively went to his new Jolly Roger earrings, praying that the giver of it would survive this field.

"Oh, I didn't think someone would come as early as I would." He heard an accented Italian said beside him. "Is this your first time in Mort Games? You look worried, Tsunayoshi Sawada." The lady said calmly.

She was wearing a neat set of skirt and shirt, hidden underneath a lab-coat similar to Tsuna's usual wear. She had long brown hair tied in low side ponytail. She had brown eyes and she wore glasses. Tsuna noticed that she smelled like seventy-percent alcohol.

"Y-yeah, it's my first time." He replied. "How do you know my name?" She giggled. "It's impossible that I don't. I've been in and out your blog, it's actually my homepage." She said with a smile. "W-who are you?" Tsuna asked with squinted eyes. "My name is Nene Minagawa, I work for Millefiore Corporation, research and development department. Worked for Baskerville before."

"Aah! I've seen you in the Discovery Channel. The first female, not to mention Japanese, person who actually held a leading position within Millefiore R&D." She smiled.

Both scientists then proceed into a long conversation about their works, and Tsuna couldn't help but feel a weird familiar sensation with the woman in front of him. Like she was someone he knew from a long long time ago. But he couldn't place his mind on it… who was she really?

"Say, Nene-san-"

"LADIES AAAAND GENTLEMEN! THANK YOU FOR JOINING THIS BANQUET OF DEATH!" Nene shouted, along with thousands other within the fully cramped Lucifer dome. "NOW PLEASE WELCOME, THE IMMORTAL STUNTMAN HATED BY THE GRIM REAPER HIMSELF! SKULL DE MOOOORT!"

The entire stadium blacked out, and all spotlights were focused into a certain stuntman and his bike. "Today, all of you gather here to see my defying of death…" he said to the quiet crowd. "I won't say anything long, just… LET THE MORT GAMES BEGIN!"

"AND MAY THE GRIM REAPER BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR!" The fans, including Nene-san, shouted in reply. The hoops of fire were lit and the all the explosive was active, the cars on the bottom of the pit blared, making the whole stadium shout in euphoria.

"MAY THE GRIM REAPER BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR, SKULL-SAAAAN!" Tsuna shouted as Skull-san started Oodako's engine and made his jump.

* * *

_**Next:**_

_**Fifth Stunt: Feelings.**_

"_Kiss me and tell me if I'm gay."_

* * *

**I AM DONE! OH GOD THIS CHAPTER WAS MONSTROSITY AND EXCITEMENT ALL MIXED INTO FOUR THOUSAND+ WORDS! **

**I had to listen the song **_**Warrior **_**by **_**B.A.P **_**like THE ENTIRE TIME I wrote this chapter. Try listening to it while (re)reading; does it have the same effect as listening to it while writing? (lol)**

**Next chapter… KISS ME AND TELL ME IF I'M GAY! **_**I'M SOOO EXCITED!**_

**Review reply:**

**R3iga1004**** – It existed! And I know it does, if it doesn't, well, HERE FANDOM CHIRI PRESENTS YOU TO ANOTHER PAIRING CALLED ViperSkull! XD **

**Yuu3**** – Well, since in this fic Reborn is Tsuna's uncle… it'll be much much more awkward than Skull and Tsuna XD Giotto has prepared something alright, but he won't be giving it on time. ONLY SKULL (and the Arcobaleno) HAS THAT PRIVELEGE XDDD **

**Narutopokefan ****– Hahaha Skull and Verde talking would be one of the hardest thing I would ever write, if I decide to write it :p**

**Sylvia-san**** – I'll think about that! I've never written BelMammon before, but if I think that they fit, I'll give it a try! And Reborn's emails' main purpose wasn't to remind Tsuna of his own birthday; it's actually reminding Tsuna that 14****th**** October is Tsuna's birthday. If it weren't for Reborn, Tsuna would definitely forget that 14****th**** October is his own birthday; seeing that Natsu was the one showered with presents and he was treated like he was air and all XD**

**Soul Vrazy ****– No is a no! :p Ooo interesting, let's hear what your project is! Don't bother Ran though, she's currently running to be student council president of her school :p**

**Chibi'prince-sama – Teheeheee~ Thanks for not expecting! Please enjoy this chapter~**

**SelfcreatedCharacter – the All27 is hinted and onesided, but Skull27 is definitely out in the open! Since I'm going for more realistic story, I can't write everyone lusting after Tsuna because he drank a pheromone potion XD Aria is already Luce's daughter. She is Luce and Bermuda's daughter. And since Aria is a child in the story, Uni won't be Luce's family. But YOU'LL SEE HER! ****winks winks**** Byakuran would appear and Reborn will give Tsuna a present xDD**

**demons of ragriz**** – Well I'm glad the last chapter made your day! I hope this chapter made your day too!**

**Well, I guess that is all! **

**Please review~**

**P.S: If you wonder why this chapter is titled Hydrogen chloride, it's to complement with last chapter's Fire theme. Regretted it though. Should have used Titanium TT_TT**


	13. Fifth Stunt: Feelings

_**Fifth Stunt: Feelings.**_

* * *

Mort Games ended successfully and the after party went underway in the Giglio Nero bar. Skull sat next to Tsuna, who was talking to Aria.

He felt a smile upon his face whenever he looked towards Tsuna's ears. The Jolly Roger had suited him, just like how it had suited Medea. His sister got pierced ever since she was young, and it was the only pain-inducing thing she had ever done out of her own accord. 'It's super fashionable' she had said.

"Skull, dear, over here!" He heard Luce called for him. He smiled to Tsuna and Aria, who waved to him. "Forgive me if I go home earlier, okay?" Tsuna said as he tilted his brown head. Skull shook his head. "I won't be long. We'll go home together." Tsuna nodded and returned to his conversation to Aria.

Skull then moved to sit on the bar counter, a manner Luce would have reprimanded if it were another day. But since today was the Mort Games celebration and Tsuna's birthday joint party, she let it slip.

"Skull, have you seen Viper anywhere?" She said with a worried expression on her face. Skull looked around the bar; he spotted Verde in front of his laptop, working seriously, Colonnello and Bermuda, having a drinking contest, Reborn had dropped by earlier and left immediately because he has something urgent to take care of, Lal did the same because she was in charge of nursing her sick team members, and Fon was with Aria and Tsuna, also with a Chinese girl named I-Pin whom he had adopted as his daughter. But he didn't see Viper anywhere.

"No, I haven't. Where is he?" Skull asked as he took the Ginger Ale Luce had put in front of him. "I think he wasn't feeling well, and he's resting in the back room. Can you check it out for me?" Luce smiled. Skull nodded and got off the counter.

"Sure, why not?"

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

_Good luck, sweet Viper._

Honestly, he hated Luce. Well, that woman made his mind look like it was some sort of a book that was easily read. He hated that. Viper was an illusionist; he was supposed to play with people's mind and stuff. But Luce… annihilated all that hard work he had done to be secretive and tricky with that serene gentleness of hers…

"Hey what's up, Viper? Luce told me that you weren't feeling too well." Here she goes again. Doing something so unnecessary. He knew that he promised her that he'll confe- tell his feelings to Skull if the wimpy stuntman had went through his hoops of fire (and he did splendidly, like any other year).

But actually jumping his own hoops of fire?

No.

Freaking.

Way.

That's impossible.

"Aw, what's with you, Vipy~?" The wimp hugged him directly upfront. "You don't seem like yourself." _It's because of you, wimp. _Viper flinched and instinctively lowered his hood, trying to hide the blush on his face. "Get your poor hands out of my expensive robes, beggar." He taunted the man with his usual remark.

Skull smiled. But not his usual stupid smile, it was a smile that only Viper knew. He looked older with that smile, and it didn't suit his stupidity, but it was one of the reasons why he felt so hard for him.

The stuntman appreciated all these mundane things he got from meeting him and Luce. Skull once told him that Medea was the only person who told him what kindness was, and soon after that, she died. Then the world started to turn cold. Skull never smiled. He laughed, flaunted, and boasted about everything he can. But he never smiled.

"I have something really serious I need to talk to you about." Viper's heart rammed to his chest. This is it. It's all or nothing.

"Skull, I-"

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

"-am in love with you."

Skull couldn't believe his ears.

No.

It must be a joke.

No.

A-ah! As a friend? Skull loves him too!

"Oh geez, Viper, don't say the obvious. I love you too! You're my best friend in the whole world!" He grinned like he always did. "You're wrong, Skull." Viper shook his head. "I love you like how Fon once loved Luce, and how Luce love her husband now."

What…?

"Why are you crying, dumbass? I'm the one who should cry now. Why on earth have I fallen in love with-!" Viper was surprised to find his best friend crying on his shoulder and hugging him. He buried his face on his robes, and Viper could feel the robe getting wet. "W-why?" Skull stammered.

Viper took a deep breath and sighed. "Well, I can't help it, can I?" Skull hugged him tighter and tighter until he could feel his hood getting away from his sight. His indigo colored hair was visible now, and it didn't take a long while until the rest of his face followed.

"Being with you is very fun, Viper…" Thousands of memories they both shared flashed like a movie in their minds. "You were my first friend, and if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been here… I never felt happier spending all those euros I did to buy you a lunch."

_My name is Viper Indigo. Now that I've told you my name, you've signed a contract to buy me a lunch._

"But… I- I don't think I-"

"You don't know it yet!" Viper said stubbornly as he shook his friend out of his stupor. The illusionist took a deep breath and touched his friend's face with both his hands. Skull's face was teary, but they still looked like how it usually was. The purple makeup was still there, unblemished by his tears. Viper tightened his hold. "I-I'm not gay…" Skull said, his eyes were fixed on the floor underneath them.

"You don't know that yet." Viper said as he forced his friend to look at him on his face. Skull knew how he looked like; he was the only one he entrusted with it. The triangle tattoo he had applied to his girl-like face was Skull's idea; 'to make it less girly' he had said.

As indigo-colored eyes met with purple ones, Skull whispered. "Maybe you're just confused, Viper," it sounded like the stuntman was convincing himself rather than convincing Viper. "Maybe you're not actually g-gay…" Skull was stammering. Did he think that Viper was betraying him? Did he think that with confessing like this, he had destroyed their friendship? He already thought that! But as Luce said, if he didn't make this move, when would Skull know?

Viper leaned forward to his best friend and whispered to his ears. "Kiss me and tell me if I'm gay, Skull." The purple-eyed man went rigid, but Viper then faced him head on. "This is my only wish, Skull. Kiss me. If you don't feel anything, then I won't force you at all. I just need you, _want _you, to know about your own feelings."

Skull took a deep breath and wiped the tears off of his face. He leaned in closer and caressed his best friend's long indigo-colored hair and put his hands on the shorter man's shoulder. Skull then leaned in more and more, and as he closed his eyes, his own lips met with Viper's.

He could hear a soft 'clink' voice, and he knew that his chain meeting with Viper's face caused it. It was wet, and hot, but Skull couldn't stop the tears coming from his eyes.

It hurts. It hurts because he could feel how much Viper loved him, and yet he couldn't feel the same sparks coming from his heart. Viper moved his lips, his tongue, to enter inside him. He could feel love, passion, and longing. But he couldn't feel the same way, he just _can't_.

Why? He didn't quite get it. Skull had all the reason to be in love with Viper. The illusionist was his savior, the person who had showed him that there were people who wanted him. And he certainly didn't feel uncomfortable kissing a man. But… he just _didn't_. He _wasn't _in love with Viper.

There was a sound of something being dropped and it woke Skull from his stupor.

"Forgive me, Viper. I… I can't…" Viper looked shocked, but Skull was even more shocked than he was. "I-I, I can't- I'm not-"

"Shh," Viper shook his head. "Don't make me feel pathetic, beggar." Skull widened his eyes. "This doesn't mean anything between us will change, right?" Viper said calmly. Skull nodded. "Of course! We'll still be best friends!" Viper nodded. "I should charge you for that kiss. It was my first."

"Aw c'mon. I'll take you to a movie; it's all on me. How about that?" A movie with both of them, and maybe the other Arcobaleno, it sounded like fun, a free kind of fun. And it's Viper's favorite type of fun. Why not?

"I guess I'll go home now," Skull said as he put Viper's hood back to the illusionist's head. "It's almost bedtime for my roommate, after all." He added with a gentle smile upon his face.

A type of smile Viper was unfamiliar with. And it wasn't shown for his sake.

He lowered his hood. He knew what that smile was. He'd seen it on Luce's face, he'd seen it on Fon's face, and most of all… a smile Bel often wore when he saw Viper…

He didn't understand.

He didn't understand _at all_.

The illusionist waved the stuntman a goodbye and fell to his knees, feeling utterly pathetic. And at the same moment, a certain orange-wearing woman entered the room. "Viper dear-"

"Laugh at me, Luce, I'm beaten by someone who had been with Skull for a measly amount of time compared to mine."

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

Colonnello held his liquor well, but he always came home from Mort Games after party with a massive weight upon his head.

He had had a drinking contest with Luce's husband Bermuda and had lost. He felt so wasted, but he thanked god that he could still see the road in front of him. He needed to return to the barracks and sleep his ass off. Tomorrow was the day he'd lead his stupid team to look for Sawada in Tibet.

Speaking of Sawada, the kid looked like he was about to cry when he left the bar.

But that could be his sight acting up. Well, he _was _in the fourth bottle of Vodka, so he couldn't be too sure. "God, this is what I get if I don't come to parties with Lal." He vomited to sewers underneath him. Lal was usually there for him, telling him off if he had done something stupid, like drinking six bottles of Vodkas and setting his liver on fire.

But, when he was in the peak of his headache, he saw Oodako's glow in the dark octopus sticker from afar.

"What the hell…?"

He wobbled closer to the motorcycle, only to find that Skull was nowhere near the bike. That was weird. Skull loved Oodako like he loved his hawk Falco. The only difference was Oodako wasn't a living being, but Skull sure treated it like one.

"Skull!" He shouted. "Oi, this isn't funny, hey!" He looked around the street, but there was absolutely no sign of Skull…

But his helmet was a few meters away from Oodako.

"….fuck."

Skull de Mort has just been kidnapped. What a wimp.

* * *

_**Next:**_

_**Atomic Number 18: Argon.**_

* * *

**God this chapter is so short. But that's fine, because next chapter has a bleeding Tsuna and a displeased Hibari ;D**

**And yes, that sound of something being dropped was Tsuna entering the room and dropping something XD He saw Skull and Viper making out with each other, with tongues to boot!**

**Review reply:**

**Soul Vrazy - I don't get it! Do you want to roleplay or something? What do you mean you wanna be Verde? Uuuu I don't get it! TT_TT**

**TunaSandwich27 – Yep, she is xD**

**SelfcreatedCharacter – Lol yes, Imprinting, what a good word XD Well, she won't do a thing right now, wait for later~ Nope, Reborn don't plan their relationship, but he expected that it'll happen. And I think so too! I would want an earring for me XD**

**Yuu3 – Because he thinks that Tsuna would be freaked out to get a gift from some random stranger XDDD Whoaaa strong reaction! I felt like an emotional mother when I wrote that part xD**

**demons of ragriz – Teheheee thank you~**

**Sylvia-san – Yes! I like K-Pop *****is listening to Nalina by Block B as I write this***** I LOVE SHINEE LUCIFER! It's my favorite SHINee song XD Oh no, Nene herself still doesn't know that Tsuna is her son, but she does feel something familiar about him. Giotto didn't tell her because he himself is still not sure, and he's afraid to tell Nene when he could be wrong. Nope, nope, opinions are welcome! I hope you like the little hint I dropped there for you ;D**

**R3iga1004 – Yeah indeed T_T *****regrets* Well, Nana's organizing Natsu's birthday and all, so it just slipped her mind probably. It didn't change the fact that she's utterly mean though DX**

**Okay, that is all, please review~**


	14. Atomic No 18: Argon

_**Atomic Number 18: Argon.**_

* * *

If there was a moment that one Hayato Gokudera appreciated more than the short time he was able to spend with his real mother, Lady Lavina, it was the moment he met a certain Chief Professor named Tsunayoshi Sawada.

The first impression he got when he saw the youngest head-of-lab to ever attend the science convention was the fact that he was cold. He looked _through _Hayato, as if he wasn't even there when he stood in front one of the nuclear exhibit. "Yamamoto, look at this!" He beamed enthusiastically, sounding very much like a child after receiving his balloon.

"These children could blow an entire town into oblivion, _awesome stuff_!" Weird. Hayato had seen many scientists, but none of them ever referred to nuclear with 'these children'. A goofy-looking kid that was most likely of Asian origin grinned happily. "That's awesome, Tsuna!"

Honestly, Hayato was irritated. Here he was, proud representative of Milano Scuola Pubblica when he was just at sixth grade because he was the Chief Professor had had a cold and he was the smartest right after the Chief. And this midget just looked through him like he didn't exist. Hayato had lived a life of a prodigy, where everyone naturally showered him with praises and during that time, Tsuna's indifference to him had been a huge bruise to his ego.

"Hey, you!" He had sounded so petulant. If he spoke like that to the Tenth now, he will most definitely be off smashing his head to the nearest flat and hard surface. "I'm the representative of Milano Scuola Pubblica! Who do you think you are? Where's your Mummy and Daddy, huh?!" The Asian kid's eyes widened and his hands went to his hips like he was going to take out a sword, his goofy features contorted into another expression: rage.

"Yamamoto." Tsuna deadpanned, eyes wide and lips pulled into a tight line. "Let's go." The midget didn't even spare another glance to him as he left; the Asian kid followed him, almost like a dog.

Hayato pouted, soon forgetting about the whole encounter as the assembly began.

He had sat on the front, trying to remember the faces of people who'd definitely going to make it big in history. "Welcome to the biggest science convention of the year, the Vindice Workshop!" Vindice. Hayato vowed that he would definitely get there. It was the ultimate proof that he was a prodigy, to go to school full of them.

"The current Chief Professor of Sicilia Scuola Pubblica, Vindice's own personal laboratory, will give you his speech. Tenth Chief Professor, the floor is yours."

Apparently, the owner of the floor had shocked the entire hall, including Hayato. It was that kid! Brown, apathetic eyes looked at the audience with sheer boredom as he walked slowly, trying to not trip of his own lab coat. Pale skin, brown hair, and scrawny, that was what he would describe the midget with if he wasn't the owner of the floor.

Many approached him, and the Asian kid only flashed them a toothy grin, pulling a _real life katana _out of his hip, urging them not to come closer.

"Hi," the smallest scientist in the room, and yet the one who was the mastermind of the whole Vindice Workshop, greeted them. "I'm Tsunayoshi Sawada, sixth grade of Sicilia Scuola Pubblica and set to be seventh grader at the Middle School too. I was just made the Chief Professor last week," _Last week? He prepared the whole convention with only a week? _"I love Chemistry, and I seek perfection within it. My… specialty lies in explosive materials." A soft chuckle came from the Asian kid. "Well, I guess that is all. Enjoy yourselves, everyone."

The crowd cheered and clapped for him, but this time, Hayato was not included.

Utter humiliation. That was the thing he felt back then. He had flaunted the fact that he was the Milano Scuola Pubblica's representative to the _Sicilia _Scuola Pubbliva's representative, and leader of the whole convention.

Upset, Hayato ran away from the crowd, going to one of the off-limits room, trying to soothe his hurting ego.

Eventually, the stormy red liquid intrigued him. It was crystal clear, like it was blood, but there was a tinge of orange that made the color of liquid intriguing. Crimson? Amber maybe?

Beautiful.

Unfortunately, Hayato tripped over his own lab coat, making him fall head first to the table. The vial shook and it suddenly started to bubble. "What the fuck…" The process was slow, but sure. His heart pounded when the liquid turned to even lighter shade of amber. "GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE!" A voice with a weirdly accented Italian said from behind him.

"Tsuna, don't! It's too dangerous!"

Suddenly, a hand yanked him on the collar, away from the bubbling substance. The force of it was so great that he fell down to the floor, where a certain Asian kid cushioned his fall. "Gra-"

"TSUNA!"

The liquid exploded, and it happened to hit the face of his savior.

Panicked, Hayato scrambled inside the lab, searching frantically for his savior. Along with the Asian kid, who shouted all sorts of things in Japanese. He knew that it was Japanese since his mother was half Japanese, so… but that wasn't important! How was his savior?!

"Haha… hahahaha… HAHAHAHA! That was AWESOME!" His savior was wearing a goggle on his face, and the explosion had been low-powered, but he still had some minor burn injuries on his face and front part of his goggle was charred. "Tsuna, you're injured!" The Japanese kid came to his still-laughing friend. "It's fine, Yamamoto! It's okay!"

Hayato fell to his knees. "You saved me…" He said, and it was barely audible. But the scientist kept on laughing as some staff entered the lab, ushering the scientist to the infirmary.

"I'm Takeshi Yamamoto. You?" The Japanese kid asked as they both waited outside the infirmary. "It's none of your business, isn't it?" the silver-head bit back snappily. But, the kid only laughed. "I have a feeling that you'll want to follow him someday, Tsuna, I mean." It was not _someday_, he already felt some sort of gratitude towards the midget who saved him.

"When that time comes, let's be his friends together, okay?" The kid, Takeshi Yamamoto grinned. When his savior came out of the infirmary, Hayato fell to his knees and bowed his head in shame. "I misjudged you!" He had said with shaky voice. "Please, let me somehow make up for it!"

The midg- Tsunayoshi Sawada was bandaged, but other than that, he looked okay. "I could use another lab-assistant." He said nonchalantly. "But… you're not in the same school as ours, so-"

"I don't need it, good day. Keep on doing science, I somehow know that you knacks for explosion."

After that day, Hayato moved out from his house and contacted the principal of the Sicilia Scuola Pubblica, who immediately knew of him since his name shone gloriously in the music department.

A few months later, he found himself inside the Chemical Lounge, standing nervously in front of the other members of the laboratory. "My name is Hayato Gokudera," he had said while fidgeting nervously. Takeshi Yamamoto, the Japanese kid, turned out to be one of the most famous junior members of the baseball team, and then there was Nagi 'Chrome' Dokuro, the rising star of the world of magician, also Ryohei Sasagawa, the world boxing champion, and last but _not _least, Tsunayoshi Sawada.

"I'll be joining this club and be of service to the Tenth Chief Professor, please take care of me."

He received no words, only an applause from all the members present and syringe with blood-red liquid inside it.

"Welcome to my laboratory, Gokudera-kun. That is the smokin' bomb solution, your signature within my lab. Please use it well."

At that time, whatever left of his ego vaporized, leaving him with an absolute sense of loyalty to the Tenth Chief Professor of Sicilia Scuola Pubblica.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

_**TLAK!**_

Another shot, another bullseye, another arrow, another shot, another bullseye, another arrow, his body was in autopilot, but his mind was running around in circles.

Skull-san. And Viper-san. So what? He wasn't even anything with the stuntman. They were just roommates, _so why did it hurt so much?_

_Skull-san leaned in closer and caressed Viper-san's long indigo-colored hair and_ _put his hands on the shorter man's shoulder. The stuntman then leaned in more and more, closing his eyes, his lips met with Viper-san's._

_Tsuna could hear a soft 'clink' voice, and he knew that Skull-san's chain was meeting with Viper-san's face, causing it to sound. They used tongues… Tsuna knew it, somehow._

_It hurts. It hurts because he could literally feel strong feelings during their encounter. Such a strong chemistry filled the air, and Tsuna felt a sudden attack of sadness. Viper-san moved his lips, his tongue, to enter inside Skull-san, engaging on a passionate kissing encounter. Tsuna could feel love, passion, and longing. And somehow… __**it tore him apart.**_

_Why? He didn't quite get it. Skull-san had all the reason to be in love with Viper-san. According to Luce-san, the illusionist was his savior, the person who had showed him that there were people who wanted him. And Tsuna was just a stranger, a relative of a friend. _

_Unable to take it, he fled the room, letting a cardboard box fell to the ground as he tried his best to held himself from crying._

"-top."

A distant voice sounded, but Tsuna didn't care. He kept on shooting and shooting and shooting and-

"I said stop, Tsunayoshi Sawada." With that, he stopped.

His eyes were bleary, so he couldn't see too clearly. But with that calm, cold, and deadly voice, he instantly knew who it was. "President…" He said, as calmly as possible. "To what do I owe this pleasure…?" Calm, quiet, deadly… shaky… cracked…

"W-what are you doing here?" _Stammered_. No, this wasn't himself. Was he… was he breaking? _Why? _For the love of father Lavoisier, _why?_ "Stopping you from injuring the hands you could very well use to benefit our school." Tsuna's head went down to see his hands were bleeding, probably because he had been using the bow without gloves for hours…

And tear droplets fell from his eyes, making his bloodstained hand hurt even more.

His chest _ached __**badly**_. He was hurt. But it was quite unlike Natsu. He… felt hatred to his family, in little amount, but hatred nonetheless.

In this matter though, he couldn't bring himself to hate Skull-san. No matter how much he wanted to put the blame on the stuntman, he just _couldn't_. If there was anyone Tsuna could blame, it was Viper-san. Maybe Viper-san influenced Skull-san into doing his bidding, maybe he had made a drug which cause Skull-san's sudden attraction to him…

No, that was _so_ mean! What is _wrong _with him? He shouldn't… mustn't… "T-tell me…" He sobbed, ramming his face to the flat surface in front of him. "W-what? W-why? _What's happening to me? _Why-why do I feel like my chest hurts even when I don't… I _didn't _injure my chest! But why?! UAAAAAA!" He bawled his eyes out.

He had never felt so childish before, like he wanted a study for his own. He never felt like this, _this _territoriality that he felt for Skull-san. The desire to keep the adorable wimpy stuntman within his confines, all to his own was just plain unbearable. He only wanted the stuntman to look at him and no one else! What is this?! It's just so _unnatural!_

"It's late," The President said (more like stating the obvious) calmly. "I should take you home. You are breaking the school rules by staying way past the hours." Home? Back to where Skull-san were?! No! He couldn't! "D-don't!" He said in the middle of his sobs. "I-I d-don't want to!"He was _wailing_, throwing a tantrum in front of _Kyoya Hibari_. Suicide. But dying would be such a luxury now.

"Do you wish to spend the night at school?" The President said, still without any hint of emotion on his handsome face. Tsuna nodded. Anywhere is better than 'home' right now, well, anywhere but his parents' house though.

"Come, let me take to the Trumps. If I am not wrong, the treasurer and Nagi Dokuro are spending the night to complete some student council related work." The President put his arms behind his neck and his knees, lifting the light scientist up to speed up the process.

Tsuna circled his arms behind Hibari's neck; still crying over whatever it is that was torturing his chest. Honestly, having a huge amount of Ferrum in his chest with melted lava poured slowly on top of it was _not _a great feeling.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

_Skull's been kidnapped! What d'you reckon we should do?_

_-C_

A mocking chuckle escaped his lips. "What a wimp."

_Does Tsuna know? How about Luce?_

_-R_

Not a second later, a message came.

_Reborn! Skull has been kidnapped! I am sending this mail to the other Arcobaleno too. Lal said we should tell Tsuna about it, what do you think?_

_Love, _

_Luce_

Typical Luce. She will always ask for other's opinion first. He twirled his fedora and put it on his desk before sliding the screen to Colonnello's message.

_I don't think so. The kid looks like :'( when he went out. Fourth of Vodka though, can't be too sure. Luce knew. Told her first._

_-C_

He frowned. As he had expected (but dreaded anyways), Tsuna was bound to have a feeling for Skull. And he reckoned that it was tormenting the kid too. He sighed.

_I'll tell him. Personally. _

_-R_

He slid the screen to Luce's message.

_I'll tell Tsuna. What about the others? _

_-R_

Three seconds later, it rang again.

_Thank god you will. Bermuda said that he would try to find the kidnapper before acting; he and I don't want to move the Vindice so soon. Verde said that the kidnapper might ransom him in exchange of Tsuna. Fon is out of the town with I-Pin, so I couldn't contact him. As for Viper, a member of the Varia just picked him up after he drank like a gallon of silver bullet._

_Love,_

_Luce_

As expected from Luce. Always a quick thinker.

_You're doing a great job, Lady of Ar-Mer. I'll tell Tsuna. Contact me if anything happens._

_-R_

Reborn sighed. This was not how he wanted to return to his former school. But he stood up from his desk in Vongola Headquarters and made his way to the love of his life, his shiny sleek and lovely car.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

"Tsuna-oniichan!" To say that they were surprised was an understatement. And if it weren't for the president's death glare, Nagi would have grabbed her phone and called Yamamoto-san and Gokudera-san to come.

Lambo shot up from his mountain of paper work, spilling some in the process, but he didn't even _whine_. He only sat as the president gently let the Chief Professor lay on the couch. "Onii-chan, what is it…" Lambo sighed as he saw the Chief Professor curled into a ball, hiding himself from everyone.

"What happened, president?" Nagi asked, looking as panicked as Lambo. "I don't quite get it myself." The president explained. "I found him inside the den of Ares, doing archery until his hands bleed. I gave him first-aid treatment, but I will leave the rest to you, herbivore." Nagi nodded as the president retreated, giving one last look of worry before going away from the crowd.

Den of Ares was _not _a place she, or anyone in that matter, expected to find the president of the Chemical Lounge in. The den of Ares is the hanging spot of various martial artists in the school, Ryohei Sasagawa often spend his time there instead of the Chemical Lounge.

For the Chief Professor to think of going to the den of Ares… no. It was unthinkable.

She shook her head and head closer to Lambo, who looked like he was about to cry at the sight of his broken Onii-chan. "It's going to be fine, Lambo," she put a hand on top of her lover's shoulder, gripping it slightly. "The Chief Professor will be back to normal in no time. I'm sure of it…" She wasn't. But it was the only thing she could say to her almost-crying lover.

Suddenly, the door opened with a huge slam.

Nagi was instantly alert and she immediately reached for her staff. "Who are you and what do you want?" She asked the man, but when she saw who it was clearly, she lowered her weapon.

"First president of Trumps and Blackjacks, Reborn!" Lambo gasped in awe. The man in fedora gave a slight look of approval before turning his gaze back to the cowering Chief Professor.

"Don't be such a wimp, Tsuna." Nagi gulped, Lambo gasped, and the Chief Professor curled even deeper. "I know what happened. And I think you're a coward, did you even _ask _to the guy himself?" A soft whimper was heard from the Chief Professor's lips, and both Nagi and Lambo exchanged looks.

"Argon, latin for lazy. And one of definitions of lazy is resistant to work or exertion. That's what you are now. Too afraid of facing the truth yourself, huh? I should have just left you in your parents' house."

The Chief Professor whimpered again and covered his ears. "No matter, I'm not here to tell you that." The fedora-wearer curled his sideburn idly. "Skull's been kidnapped. And the real target is you, he was just bait. What are you going to do?"

"Why…?" The Chief Professor spoke, nearly inaudible, but what was heard in his voice sounded hurt and shaky. "Why do you always push these decisions to me?" The Chief Professor trembled.

"Well, I'm not the one in love with Skull, am I?" With that, the fedora wearer left the room, leaving a weeping brunet and a pair of confused lovers.

* * *

**I dunno what I should have for next, Skull's POV of the kidnapping (with torture scenes and all) or directly to the rescue operation… Please give your suggestions. Do you want to see a rather short chapter of Skull's kidnapping or a rescue mission chapter? **

**And sorry for not doing review reply this time, am too tired :'(**

**Please review~**


	15. Sixth Stunt: Atomic No 93

**Sixth Stunt: Understanding the Elements of Atomic Number 93 and above.**

* * *

Medea.

The memories about her burned in Skull's mind. Sweet Medea, sweet lovely beautiful paranoid Medea. The only person in this world he had loved with all his heart.

Wait, really?

What about Viper? Luce? Arcobaleno? Tsuna?

Tsuna?

Why was Tsuna in his consideration? The kid was Reborn's nephew! He was off-limits! But, why?

Medea. Medea. Medea. Medea.

His life revolved around her, it really did. She taught him kindness. She taught him confidence. She taught him love. Her name echoed within his head. No matter how much he loved her, Medea was also the blackest part of his life. The fact that he lost her and the fact that his life came crumbling down after her death made it that way.

No, no, think about something else. He can't keep on thinking about Medea. Because if he did, he will-

Medea. Medea. Medea. Medea. Medea. Medea. MEDEA!

"_Why didn't you save me, piccolino?" _

He flinched and searched frantically for the source of the voice. Where? Medea is… Medea…

"_Why did you let me die alone, piccolino, why?"_

No. Nononono. He didn't let her die alone. He wanted to die with her; it had been what he thought when that truck hit both of them. "I don't-!"

"_Silence!"_ Medea hissed at him.

"_You let me die, piccolino, you did. But that's okay. You'll stay here with your big sister and relive every single second of your mistake. You killed me, piccolino. But big sister loves you. She loves you __**so**__ much to make up the fact that __**nobody**__ loves you." _

And then again, he was sitting on a chair with his hands and legs tied to it. Medea sat on top of his lap, hugging him on his neck. He watched again as he played by the side of the street, he watched again as he carelessly let go of the ball, he watched again as Medea scolded him and grabbed his wrist with her to take the ball, he watched again as the truck crushed both of them.

"_Ahahahaha~"_ The pain was real. At first, it was okay. Thanks to his overly strong body, he was okay. But eventually, after fifty consecutive repeats of the accident, Skull screamed.

"AAAAARGH!"

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

"Testing, testing, is this shit working?"

"Colonnello dear, language!"

"Test. It works."

"We don't even need to use wireless, Verde. We're in the car."

"Shut up, Viper."

"Chaos. Oh, it works."

"Great."

"LAAAAAL!"

"Please refrain from shouting in the wireless, my ear is ringing."

"Colonnello, please listen to Bermuda."

"Ah, it works. Good evening everyone."

"Weren't you out of town, Fon?"

"I was, Reborn. But my dear I-Pin sensed something wrong so I went back."

"Skull-rénxiōng! Danger!"

"What the hell? You bring a kid along?!"

"She's no ordinary kid, moron. I-Pin was an assassin from Millefiore Orphanage."

"Interesting…"

"Are we doing this rescue mission or not?!"

Luce took a deep breath. Sometimes, it was really hard to maintain order in the Mercenary. A bandaged hand grasped her own, trying to calm her. "You are doing a great job, my love. We will rescue your younger brother." Luce sighed and smiled. Bermuda always knew which words to say to calm her down.

"All crews in position?" She asked to the wireless.

"Ready and kicking, milady!"

Luce looked at her beloved husband, who gave her an encouraging kiss on her temple, and gripped his hand tighter.

"Charge!"

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

Tsuna sat on the sofa with his face burying itself to his knees in a desperate attempt to stop crying. It wasn't really difficult, but… it was.

He wanted to disappear, utterly embarrassed of himself. Here he was, a proud chemist with a brilliant reputation of being cold and merciless. And yet here he was, a lost and broken person without anything to lean on.

"Onii-chan… I made tea for you." Lambo put down the cup and sat beside Chrome on the loveseat right across the crying chemist. They both looked towards each other in worry, but then Tsuna took the tea shakily and spoke to them for the first time since the president dropped him by.

"How does it feel…?" He murmured as he frowned to the tea in his hold. "Excuse me?" Chrome chirped. "How does it feel to be… in love? Do you feel as ugly, unworthy, and dirty as me?" Chrome's shoulder slumped and her face turned into a sad frown. Lambo grasped her hands in his, comforting both of them.

"Being in love is a very twisted feeling, Chief Professor…" Chrome whispered. "I feel happy and warm when I'm with Lambo, and I feel cold and empty when he's away. I feel like I could do whatever I want if I'm with him, and I feel like I could crumble if he's gone… but all in all, it's such a wonderful feeling."

"I can't phrase it better than that, Onii-chan." Lambo smiled lovingly to Chrome, who blushed deeply. Tsuna shook his head, much to both lovebirds' confusion. "I think I phrased my question wrong…" His eyes that once shone with coldness and calculating stare were now a mere dull brown. They both exhaled, not liking this predicament at all.

"Chrome, what would you feel if you saw Lambo kissing with Rillianne?"

Both lovebirds looked towards each other, both shocked at the Chief Professor's question. According to the man named Reborn, Tsuna is in love with his current roommate, Skull de Mort. If he asked this question, doesn't that mean that he caught Skull de Mort kissing with someone?

Lambo shook his head and Chrome nodded. She wasn't going to ask him about him because she knew that there was no way Lambo would ever cheat on her.

"I'd feel so mad and broken. But I won't be able to hate Lambo about it. I know I'll try to pin the blame on Rillianne even when I've seen Lambo taken the initiative." The brunet tensed a little. "I'm such a horrible person…" He muttered to himself. "I… saw them _kissing_-" there was a sob as the Chief Professor uttered his story. "-and I blacked out. I ran away as fast as I could. I-I was getting ahead of myself. He's not even my anything! But when I saw them, I immediately think of bad things about Viper-san."

Lambo took a deep breath and smiled the gentlest smile he could. Sometimes, he forgot that he was only a year younger than his Onii-chan. The brunet usually emitted aura that convinced even Lambo himself that he was at least three or five years older. But it was in a time like this that he felt that they weren't so different.

"Onii-chan, try closing your eyes and take a calming breath. Whose face appears in your mind?" The answer to that question was too easy to answer. Ever since Skull-san saved from his house all those months ago, he could never get the stuntman out of his head. And it wasn't such a bad thing… until now.

He could feel his phone vibrated on his pocket. He took it and frown when he saw the text message.

_Rescuing Skull. Your help is needed._

_-R_

He threw the phone away, scaring both Lambo and Chrome, who flinched.

Screw it, screw Skull-san! He didn't want to think about it anymore! Why should he think about Skull-san when the guy is busy making out with Viper-san?! They could be a couple for all he cares!

"They're rescuing Skull de Mort, aren't they?" Chrome asks as she took Tsuna's phone from the ground and gave it to the scientist, who tossed it away again to the sofa. "Should we prepare ourselves?" She asked.

"We're not going." Tsuna called with finality. "Onii-chan-!" Lambo stood up. "Chief Professor, you're going to-!"

"SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU!"

Lambo and Chrome jolted. They've never heard the brunet shout before. His voice was always calm, cool, collected, and very dangerous. But he never raised his voice, let alone shout to their faces.

"Since when do any of you interfere with my decisions?" He asked, threatening them both into submission. "N-no, Onii-chan… never…" Lambo stuttered nervously. "Then I suggest you keep it that way before I blow your head off." And then the chemist ran away from the Trumps.

Chrome shivered and he pulled her into a hug, even when he was shivering himself. "H-he'll regret it…" Chrome whispered to Lambo's chest. "The Chief Professor will regret it, Lambo… he definitely will…" Lambo nodded solemnly.

"I know, Chrome, but there's nothing we can do about it."

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

"Medea, please, I get it. Please… stop it…" Skull was crying and shouting as a truck hit his entire body for the hundredth time that day. "Medea, please, please, stop… it hurts…" He pleaded to his still-laughing sister.

She grinned maliciously as she hugged him closer and let go of him to caress his face with her hands. _"It hurts, doesn't it? That's the pain you used to kill me, my dear piccolino. Of course it hurts…"_ His arms tensed. "But I didn't kill you… we were together when that truck hit us…"

Medea frowned at him before tucking her long purple-hair behind her ears. She smiled a wicked smile at him before shaking her head. Skull's eyes darted to the glimmer of silver on her ears. Jolly Roger.

"_It seems that you still don't understand, piccolino."_ She petted Skull's head affectionately. Her brown eyes twinkled with mischief as she snapped her fingers for the umpteenth time of the night. "_Don't worry, my little one. Big sister will aaaaalways be here until you can understand that you killed her, the only person who would love you."_

As the entire scenery played again in front of him, he could feel a substance that smelled horridly like Viper being thrown at him. But he was too far-gone to notice what it was.

His child self shouted the line he knew would come. He called for Medea's name as their purple ball went to the street. But this time, his focus was changed. It was no longer Medea in whole, but to a silver glimmer on Medea's ears.

Jolly Roger.

What? He knew Jolly Roger. It was a symbol of pirate, something he really liked. But so what? What does that have anything to do with it?

As the sensation of his bones being crushed return, his mind focused on the pain. But when the pain was gone and his vision got replaced with the roadside again, his purple eyes went straight to those jewelries.

Jolly Roger.

It had suited Medea well. He himself loved it very much. But what?

And then it was pain again, but he steeled himself again. Jolly Roger. It was trying to tell him something. Something he hoped for. Something utterly new in his life…

Jolly Roger had suited Medea well. But… was there _someone else?_

"_It suits you, -na,"_ It suits who? Who?! "_And I like your outfit, it's cool. Let's go?"_ Go? Go where? But wherever it was, it felt really damned good.

_-na smiled at him with a proud gleam on his eyes and took his hand. "Let's go!"_

It was jumbled, jumbled, jumbled. But he knew that whatever it was that was so jumbled within his mind, he was really happy about it. Who? Was it Viper? Luce? Arcobaleno? Who?! He can't place his mind on it at all…

Jolly Roger.

It reminded him of something… _someone. _Someone _warm_, and it made him happy. Why? Who?

_"I hope you like the Jolly Roger. I think its cool." He added sheepishly, not knowing what else he could say. _

_Tsuna didn't say anything at all. His face looked utterly surprised, shocked, and any other words in thesaurus that were synonym to that. "W-whoa! If you don't like it I'll dispose of it, p-please don't cry!" He pleaded, but Tsuna shook his head fiercely, but he was still crying._

_"I-I don't know why I'm crying, but I'm happy, Skull-san! I really am!"_

He gasped.

_Tsuna. _It was all incoherent in his mind, and he didn't even know what or who 'Tsuna' was. But it made his entire body warm with hope. That was what the Jolly Roger was trying to tell him. Hope.

Medea. Jolly Roger. Tsuna. _Hope._

It all made sense. Medea who loved him had had a Jolly Roger, which he got for Tsuna as well. And Tsuna, whoever or whatever that was, meant hope.

As the truck struck him again, it didn't feel as tormenting as it was before. He didn't know if it was because his body had already reached its limit, or because he already found hope.

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

Viper swore that he wouldn't ever indulge himself in silver bullets until he felt so wasted ever again. Here he was, in a very important mission to save the love of his life (heh, people don't get over their crushes that easily, huh?) with his beloved Ar-Mer. But then here he was, getting all drunk and wasted.

"Uggggghh," he groaned as he tried to sit properly on the dark green van. "Any development, Verde?" He asked groggily.

"Development? You missed a whole bunch of stuff already. Fon, ahead of you there're three guards. All of them have guns, be ready to intercept them."

"_Very well. Are you ready, my dear I-Pin?" _

"_Hao!"_

There was a sound of knocking and hitting and few shouts and groans from the enemy before they both returned to the connection. _"Oh dear…" _Fon sounded surprised. "What is it?" Viper asked, genuinely curious even when his head was in the process of splitting into two parts. _"HOLY SHIT!" _And then came Colonnello's voice. _"This can't be happening…" _And then Lal.

"What is it, all of you?" Verde asked. _"Yes, please don't keep us in the dark." _Luce's voice also joined the fray. _"This is Bermuda speaking." _A calm and deep voice said to the wireless. "Shoot. What is it?"

"_It's Varia's insignia." _Came Reborn's deadpanned voice.

The entire member of Ar-Mer went silent, as if waiting for _him _to speak. "What the… I don't know anything about this…" He whispered.

Oh gods, really? It's Varia? But Varia… who?

"Check what color their insignia is…" Viper whispered to the headset. _"It's red." _Bermuda answered.

_"The Prince here doesn't get you, Mammon," The illusionist didn't stop and he kept on walking, but the blond man behind him kept on following him. "Why didn't you do this? Why didn't you go after the nuclear bounty?" Nuclear bounty, a code Varia used for the Vongola-CEDEF joint mission. Viper stopped in his tracks and lowered his hood._

_The self-proclaimed prince stood beside him and showed his trademark cheshire grin. "Nuclear bounty has one hundred million euro for his pretty little head, you wouldn't miss this for the world! Ushishishi." Viper looked down and narrowed his eyes. "Precisely…" He muttered lazily before going on in his way._

_"What? What do you mean by 'precisely'? Wait, Mammon! Where are you going?" _

No…

_He lowered his hood. He knew what that smile was. He'd seen it on Luce's face, he'd seen it on Fon's face, and most of all… a smile Bel often wore when he saw Viper…_

"It's Belphegor." Viper's voice was shaky. "He… he's the one who did this. But most likely, the whole Varia is supporting this. I withdrew from nuclear bounty, so it's logical that I didn't get info at all." He was puzzled to how he sounded so utterly calm when he was tearing and dying inside.

Bel was his partner. The other person aside from Skull he could trust with his secrets. The fake prince knew about how he got the tattoos. He'd also seen how Viper looked without his hoods. And like Skull, he had told him that he looked girly and yet very beautiful.

His skull felt like it was torn into two parts. He clutched his head and tried desperately not to let even one drop of tear to escape from his eyes.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

Reborn crossed his arm as Fon and Bermuda tore down the huge metallic door in front of them. They wasted no time at all to take down the henchmen within the room. I-Pin struck two of the henchmen on their neck, Bermuda mysteriously killed three, Reborn shot four, and Fon knocked three out.

"Skull-rénxiōng!" I-Pin ran to the chair in the middle of the room. "It smells like Mammon's Misty Illusion here… he was soaked with the liquefied Mammon's Misty Illusion." Bermuda assessed calmly. I-Pin tore away all of the ropes that bind Skull to his chair, only to find the stuntman shivering and twitching every few seconds.

"Ah… you okay?" She asked as she tried to touch his face. Skull jolted backwards. "NO! DON'T TOUCH ME!" He shouted. Reborn found it odd. Skull won't ever raise his voice to Fon's charge like that; he's too much of a coward to do so. "He's hot!" I-Pin gibbered to Fon, clearly panic. And then she launched into a full-blown explanation in Chinese. Fon only nodded.

"He's got a fever, and I-Pin thinks that he's a little bit disoriented." Fong translated for us. "He's poisoned." Viper's voice joined them. Luce and Verde held him by his shoulder, preventing him from falling down. Bermuda ran to his wife and took her position, shouldering one of Viper's shoulders with his own.

"It's Bel. He won't ever let you know what you're up against." He said shakily. Reborn rolled his eyes and stood tall in front of Skull. "Antidotes?" Reborn cocked his head to the second youngest member of Ar-Mer. Viper shook his head. "Nothing that I know of."

"Tsuna?" Skull murmured feverishly as he looked towards Reborn's cold obsidian. Viper screeched angrily. "He's not here." For the first time in his life, he felt bad for saying these words to Skull. Because if it were the usual conversation; his lackey would just retort with a pathetic insult instead of looking as if the world had crumbled around him and passed out.

"Skull!" Viper and Luce ran to the shivering stuntman. They did whatever they deemed necessary before letting Bermuda slung the stuntman on his shoulder and drove him away.

As the others cleared out the area, Reborn took out his cellphone. An ugly scowl marred his face as he saw the 'no-message' notice.

"Coward."

* * *

**Translation:**

**Piccolino (Italian) – little one **

**Rénxiōng (Chinese) – Brother (similar to Onii-chan in this context)**

**Hao (Chinese) – Yes**

**This chapter is… hard to write. Probably the reason why it took so long. It's heart wrenching to write what I personally felt in Tsuna's section.**

**The Finale to 'Realizing the Feelings' arc is soooo near! I hope you're as excited about it as I am.**

**Review Replies:**

**Soul Vrazy – You want both? Then you get both! I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Randomchick95 – I did include both of them, and the torture scene isn't explicit. It's more of a psychological thing :)**

**Phantom Hitman 1412 – Yeah, I can imagine Gokudera with his ego as big as his head in chibi form XD And in their early years when Gokudera isn't there to worship the ground Tsuna walks on, it's up to Yamamoto to do the task. The part that cracks me up while writing is the part when Yamamoto took out his sword in front of everyone to make them back off. Oh my god, thanks! I was worried that it sounded like Tsuna is an emotional bitch or something, I'm so glad that it isn't. And yes, science burn is the most effective way to get Tsuna out of his comfort zone, as much as a physical torture won't do much to Skull so they had to use the psychological one. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Sylvia-san – Naah, he isn't tortured with needles and all those stuff. He's just tortured psychologically. More love-lectures for our Tunafish! I like writing Chrome and Lambo as lovers! They're cute together!**

**Narutopokefan – You got it both! Thanks for the suggestion!**

**SelfcreatedCharacter – I'm afraid it'll be a little while longer before the 'I love you's are exchanged. More trial moaaaar!**

**Starxnova08 – Welcome to the yaoi world! And it's all right! I personally like seeing torture scenes, sometimes they're written awesomely.**

**Serika Ootori – I'm so glad that you found it now! XDD**

**Kichou – Thank you! Enjoy your chapter!**

**Well, I guess that's it! A review would be nice? :D**

**P.S: Atomic Number 93 and above contains matters that are not found within nature. And I think that love isn't a feeling you get instantly, you need to actually **_**find **_**it to receive the happiness…**


	16. H2 plus O2 equals H2O

_**H2 + O2 = H2O**_

* * *

Little Aria colored the drawing book happily. She smiled as she examined her handiwork, she would give it to Tsuna-oniisan, ah, Tsuna-niisan later when he came for the next visit. She laughed when she noticed that she had made a mistake with coloring Tsuna-niisan's hair with the same color as Skull-san, but decided that it wasn't that big of a mistake.

There were twelve people in the picture she drew. Aria drew herself in the middle of both Luce (who was laughing at Unca Verde and Unca Reborn) and Bermuda (who was drinking with Unca Colonnello and Auntie Lal). Besides them is a Unca Viper, who was crossing his hands behind Skull-san and Tsuna-niisan, and he was also frowning at Unca Fon who was carrying I-Pin.

"Ehehe!" Aria smiled happily as she stood up from the carpet and ran to the bar, where she knew Gamma would be. "Gamma! Gamma!" Aria chirped happily. "Ah, Gamma is in the bathroom, little lady. How may I help you?" Upon hearing that Gamma was not there, Aria pouted. "Who're you?" The green-haired child pouted at the green-haired lady.

To think of it, they looked really similar. But this lady looked like a younger copy of her mother. Honestly, it was like seeing the younger Luce, only without the Giglio Nero tattoo (instead there was a little two white flowers crossing with one another). Who was she?

"Is something wrong, Uni?" Gamma appeared lazily from the bathroom, and the lady smiled warmly. "It's nothing, Gamma. Miss Aria is here to see you." But Aria wasn't paying attention to her anymore, her face focused to Gamma.

Gamma looked at the lady with a very warm and caring smile. There was also a surge of protectiveness and fierce loyalty. It almost remind her of her father's own gaze towards her mother.

_"Listen closely, my dear Aria. When the time comes someone spare a gaze I often save for your mother, that means you have met someone just for you."_

A small smile appeared on Aria's face. At first, she felt hostile towards the lady. But upon seeing Gamma's face when seeing her, she couldn't be an enemy. Aria giggled cutely as Gamma picked her up. "What's wrong, Aria?" Gamma asked to the giggling kid. Aria stopped giggling a few minutes later and offered her small hand to the green-haired lady.

"My name is Arianna Giglio Nero, please call me Aria. Who're you?" She asked with a slight tilt of her head. The green-haired lady let out a shy smile as she took Aria's hand. "I'm Uni Romano. Nice to meet you, Aria." When they shook his hands, Gamma gave a hearty chuckle. "Your shyness could be so adorable, Uni," Uni blushed deeper. "Aria, Uni is the one who's going to be my wife."

Wife? "Like how momma is to daddy?" She asked to Gamma, who nodded. "Whoaaa! That's awesome, Gamma! Congrats, Uni! Gamma's a nice guy so you're so lucky to have-!" Suddenly, Aria's vision blurred. Gamma and Uni disappeared from her sight and it was replaced by her mother's panicky voice and his father's attempts to calm her down.

_"Please calm down, Luce."_

_"How can I, Bermuda?! Skull is... Skull is...!"_

"ARIA! ARIA ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" When her vision returned to how it was supposed to be, she was met with Gamma and Uni's worried face. "It's cold..." Aria muttered as she hugged herself. Gamma huddled her into a hug and Uni ran to find a blanket. "What happened, Aria? You suddenly have seizures and now you're feverish. Are you sick? Do we need to go to the doctor?" Gamma lied her on the sofa while Uni put a blanket over her.

"No..." Aria felt really really cold, even with the blanket on. "S-Skull-san... something is happening..." Aria whispered. Suddenly, there was a sound of a car being parked in front of the bar. "That's strange, the bar is closed, right?" Uni narrowed her blue eyes as she looked at the door. "Take care of Aria, Uni." Gamma stood up and took a weapon.

Uni looked at the blond, clearly worried. "I could be one hell of a fighter, remember? It's alright. Besides, if anything should happen, the intruder would probably see your face and run away like hell." Gamma gave her a small peck on her cheek before running to the door.

"Uni..." Aria's voice was shaky as she trembled under her blanket. Uni looked at her and put on the best smile she could manage right now. "What is it, Aria?" The lady got into her knees and put her hand on top of Aria's sweaty forehead comfortingly. "Will Gamma be okay?" She frowned worriedly. Uni gave her the most reassuring smile she'd ever seen and nodded. "Of course he will."

Meanwhile with Gamma, his heart was doing a routine somersaults. He grabbed his weapon and approached the door warily.

He knew what happened to Aria. Lady Luce had had the same thing going on for a long time now. It seemed that Aria had also inherited her mother's shamanic powers aside from her looks.

When the sounds of footsteps were getting louder and quicker, Gamma automatically assumed that they were in front of the door. Deciding that being in the offense was way better than being in the defense, Gamma kicked the wooden door open (making the bells chime) and point his weapon to the assaulter.

"Gamma! Thank god!" Lady Luce gasped in relief. Behind her was Master Bermuda (he knew him of course, he had actually seen the wedding photo after all), who slung a certain stuntman on his shoulder, and a young illusionist. Gamma instantly knew what to do. "Bring them inside, milady." He said as he let Luce come in.

Bermuda smirked to him. "Your vigilance is good, Gamma. But if I ever see you point a billiard stick to my wife's face again, I _will _kill you." And they strode pass him. Gamma then closed the door and exhaled, noting that he won't ever try to point a billiard stick to Lady Luce's face ever again. Maybe he should have that 'how to identify footsteps' lessons.

When he joined the room, Bermuda had laid Skull on the sofa across to Aria's. Lady Luce was hovering beside Aria while Viper sat on the carpet to keep beside the horridly pale-looking Skull.

"Well, well, if it isn't the advisor of Millefiore Famiglia: Uni Romano. Or should I call you Uni Gesso?" Bermuda said coldly to his lover. Gamma instinctively drew closer to defend Uni, but she only shook her head at his direction and mouth _'let me' _to him.

"I'm Uni Romano," she said with a smile. "Byakuran Gesso is my half-brother from another mother. There are lots of complication that needed me to use my mother's surname. But I assure you that I'm not here to wreak havoc in neutral territory." Bermuda scoffed. "Then _do _tell me, Miss Romano. Why are you here?" Gamma could hear the malice within his voice as clear as a day. He threw a glance to Lady Luce (whom he knew will scold her husband under normal circumstances), who was still fussing over her feverish daughter. And judging from the way she looked extremely worried and anguished, she knew that Aria had inherited the same gift as hers.

"She's here because of me, Master Bermuda." Gamma stepped in front of his lover bravely. "When Lady Luce said that the bar would be closed and she needed me to babysit Aria, I asked her to come and accompany me." Uni looked utterly surprised, but then her face softened to a smile. "Who are you to her anyway, Gamma?" Bermuda asked curiously.

"I'm his lover." Uni said, a blush creeping cutely on her cheeks. Gamma nodded with the same happiness. Bermuda was about to say something, but then Luce cut them in. "Stop it, Bermuda dear." She whispered breathily as she plopped down on the nearest armchair, clearly distressed and exhausted.

"We need to call the ambulance." Viper said for the first time since he came to the Giglio Nero bar. Luce nodded at him. "That's true. But we can't call the Vongola Hospital..." Luce sighed. Bermuda moved swiftly to Luce's side and put his bandaged fingers on top of her shoulder. "Don't worry, my love. I'm sure we can get someone else. Maybe Verde can help with medicine?" Luce shook her head. "Verde is a chemist in weaponry, my dear..."

As the room fell silent, Uni then took out her phone and pressed the number one. Gamma knew that she was speed-dialing _that person_.

He brought his ears until it reached the phone. Uni giggled, she knew that he was curious of her conversation.

_"Uni-chaaan! I'm so happy that you decided to call me!" _A cheery and bubbly voice said from the other side. "I know that, Byakuran. Now, can you please send me two ambulance? I'm in the Giglio Nero bar." Uni said coolly. _"Oooh! You're with Gamma-kun, huh? That's alright, dear sister, anything for you! Can I ask why?" _Uni laughed before answering. "No, you can't ask. Thanks for listening to my request, Byakuran."

_"Anytime, Uni-chan!" _Uni then closed the phone and smiled to the room. "What we, the Millefiore does, might not be your favorite thing. But let me help, okay?" At first, Bermuda and Viper was about to say something, but Luce nodded and smiled at Uni.

"Of course you can help, Uni-chan." Luce said with a motherly smile.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

_He's safe. But he's almost dead. And I don't mind saying that it's because of you._

_-R_

Tsuna's jaw dropped when he saw his uncle's text message. Fear enveloped him like never before. Thousands of 'what ifs' came to his head as he discern the meaning of 'almost dead' inside of his head.

But he was still mad at Skull-san! He could die for all he cares! He could... die for all he cares... not!

This was no time for him to be selfish. What if Skull-san is suffering? What if Skull-san needs him? What if Skull-san... died?

He couldn't let that happen! He won't!

Tsuna swallowed all of his angst and stood up from the Trumps' sofa. He stretched himself before going to the bathroom (an utterly fancy one, he expects nothing less from Lambo). He looked unclean and disheveled, as he had expected.

He went inside the shower and turned the valve into a slightly hot temperature. He soaked himself to the bone while staring at the floor tile.

_"Onii-chan, try closing your eyes and take a calming breath. Whose face appears in your mind?"_

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The water sounded like rain in his ears. He inhaled, exhaled, inhaled, exhaled, and repeated the process while aligning himself with the sound of water. _'Whose face appears in my mind?' _He asked himself. And as his heart calmed down, he opened his eyes with his mind set on one face.

Skull-san.

So... this was love. Like Chrome said, it felt twisted and weird. He still wanted Skull-san for himself, but at the same time, he wanted Skull-san to _alive _and _happy. _He couldn't abandon Skull-san. No matter how much he told himself to stop caring, he couldn't. He was in love with the man, and he would try to make him feel the same, but he didn't want to force anything at the adorable wimpy stuntman...

A smile made its way to Tsuna's face as he relished on his newfound feelings. It felt so pleasant this way. He knew he still have a chance with Skull-san. He didn't know how Viper-san looked like, but he would try anyways. He would try and if he didn't succeed, he could just be his best friend and support him.

When he finished his shower, he was clean and neat again. He was dressed in his school uniform and he smiled as he donned the Sicilia Scuola Pubblica's lab coat.

Surprisingly, all members of his lab was there, donning the same attire as his. "We'll go, won't we?" Yamamoto grinned happily, glad to see his broken best friend back to his usual self. "We saw the text message, Tenth. What are your orders?" Gokudera-kun said next. Tsuna only nodded. "You felt it too, Chief Professor? How warm the feeling of love is?" Chrome smiled to him, she looked proud.

"Don't joke with me, all of you won't be going with me now." Tsuna said coolly, earning several gasps and groans of disappointment. "I need to go home and grab a couple of my stuffs, okay? Then we can go to the principal and ask him about last night's abduction. Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto, come with me." The two aforementioned teens smiled to one another as they followed Tsuna's retreating figure.

"Hey wait, Sawada! I can EXTREMELY drive you there!" Ryohei ran after the three teenagers. Chrome sighed and giggled before following the other members of Sicilia Scuola Pubblica lab.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

"I'm just going to grab a couple of my stuff first okay, you guys don't need to follow me."

"Yeah... *urg* and, um, can we have some aspirin? I'm very dizzy..."

Tsuna nodded to Yamamoto as Gokudera shouted "YOU STUPID LAWN-HEAD! CAN YOU EVEN DRIVE?! _I'M _DRIVING NEXT TIME!" to the only (legal) adult in the car.

The Chemist took a deep breath and walked to the condo he and Skull-san shared. This was it. He'd apologize for acting like a high school girl and confessed that he was in love with him. Maybe he could nurse him back to health? He would if it could get Skull-san to forgive him.

He stood in front of the door and rang the doorbell a few times.

Tsuna expected a bandaged and utterly worried Skull-san to open the door and scold him for worrying the stuntman to his early grave, but he certainly didn't expect to see a very angry Viper-san.

"YOU!" He spat to the ground.

Viper-san was never the emotional one. He was always the calm, cool, quiet, and sarcastic greedy one within the Arcobaleno. But now he looked utterly angry, and Tsuna thought that it couldn't be just because he didn't give the illusionist his Mammon's Misty Illusion yet.

"H-hello, Viper-san..."

_**PLAK!**_

Whatever Tsuna was expecting, he certainly didn't expect to be slapped on his face by the elusive illusionist. "You selfish brat! Do you know how much Skull needed you?! Do you know how much he called for your name the entire night and day?! I heard that Reborn did tell you that we were rescuing him!"

"A-ah,"

"You wanna see him?! You wanna see him you brat?! Try seeing him then, see him and feel guilty about it!" Viper-san grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to the sofa, where a very pale Skull-san lie with haggard breathing. "Ughh, ughh, it's cold, cold..." Viper ran to Skull-san's room and returned with a very thick blanket. "S-S-Skull-san..." Tsuna was trembling as Viper-san took out the wet blanket, revealing Skull-san's almost-blue feet and hands. His black pajama was drenched in cold sweat.

Now that Tsuna observed, Skull-san's lips was blue as well. He was... he was... "He's been poisoned." Viper seethed to him. "Skull hated hospital, he woke up screaming for _your _name when he was brought there. That's why I'm here, taking care of my best friend." Viper-san clicked his tongue.

Best friend? _Best friend?! _

"But... isn't he your... lover?" Tsuna whispered, dumbstruck. Viper clenched his fists together before sighing deeply. "He's not in love with me, Sawada." He said with a sigh. "Don't you figure out who he's in love with?" Tsuna's eyes turned to the trembling stuntman. "But you guys... kissed..." He whispered to himself.

"Jolly... Roger..." The chemist tensed as the stuntman's lips formed very thin smile amidst all the cold sweat forming on his forehead. "Tsu... _na..._" The stuntman breathed contently before relaxing slightly. Tsuna's jaw dropped as he marveled at the sleeping stuntman's figure. Viper rolled his eyes and hushed him away.

"Next time, try not to peek when someone is trying to prove his sexuality to his best friend. It could cause so much trouble."

With that, he was kicked out of the apartment with a very solid-looking briefcase. Tsuna stood with an awed expression on his face. He then bowed to the door with a very sad and relieved expression.

_"Thank you, Viper-san."_

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

"Hmph, what are you doing here?" Reborn asked as the entire member of Sicilia Scuola Pubblica entered the headmaster's office. "We could ask you the same, Uncle Reborn. We don't remember you as someone who pledged allegiance to the headmaster." Tsuna replied as coolly as possible. If he wanted to save Skull-san, he would have to do this.

"Eeeh? I didn't know you have that much guts, Tsuna. I thought you are just an argon coward who huddled on the sofa when someone he loved is in trouble." Chrome tensed and moved her hands to her belt to pull out her staff, but Tsuna stretched his hand and shook his head. "I was. But I changed my mind. I want to save him." Reborn smirked.

"Jagger is out, unfortunately. He was just here with Bermuda and I. But... I can tell you where to find the antidote to Skull's poison. I heard it from Jagger, who knew it from Bermuda. And Bermuda's the owner of Vindice prison so you know his networks." Reborn sat down on the headmaster's desk without a care. He pulled a very confident smirk.

"It's the Varia. And their real target is to bait you, as I said. The one who created the poison is Belphegor-" somehow, Gokudera-kun seethed at the name. "-and the one who kept the poison is their boss, Xanxus. Of course, he'd be guarded by Levi, Lussuria-" Ryohei cringed at the name. "-and of course, Squalo." Yamamoto's face turned to an excited smile.

"I trust that all of you is ready?" Reborn asked to the teenagers, who all looked swiftly determined. "I will be when I have my weapon with me." The chemist walked to one of the sofa and pushed a button on the pillow, revealing a huge metal cello case. Now, it was his turn to pull a smirk. "_Now _I'm ready."

Tsuna then turned away, leaving from the room. But when he reached the door, he turned to face his uncle. At first, they only stared at one another before Tsuna cracked a smile and said "Thank you" with a shaky voice.

Reborn smirked. "Turns out that he's not that much of a coward, after all."

* * *

_**Next:**_

_**Na + H20 = X**_

* * *

**Next chapter is... dundundun... HAHAHA! I won't tell you that!**

**So after the 'Realizing the Feeling' arc is over, next would be the 'Family Traps'! Ooo I'm excited!**

**Review reply:**

**Soul Vrazy - D'aaaw thank you so much! I always feel very flattered whenever you review my stories *o***

**Randomchick95 - Ooh no! Tsuna will confess before he knows who his real family is XD But let me give you a teaser: _At some point of __Family Traps __arc, Giotto and Nene will stalk on Tsuna and Skull's date. _XD**

**Kyuubigurl74 - Thank you very much! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Sylvia-san - There you have it! Viper kicked some sense into Tsuna's head XD And next chapter will have some BelMammon in it XD**

**Yuu3 - I wonder too... because this story seemed to have a mind on its own XD**

**GlimmerCreator - ...Thank you so much... *OMIGOD DID SHE JUST SAY THAT MY STORY IS EPIC BEYOND WORDS?! KYAAAA!***

**Ezrudine-Rikamie2 - Oooh, I'm glad that it makes you cry! So it was heartwrenching! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**So well, I guess that is all. Leave a review?**

**And if you read **_**The Meeting**_**, I have a poll in my profile. You can go and check it out ;D**

**P.S: I know that chemical reactions are not written with (=) mark, but I couldn't make an arrow so...**


	17. Na plus H2O equals X

_**Na + H2O = X**_

* * *

"Ryoooohei! You look sooo hot!"

"GET AWAY FROM ME TO THE EXTREEEEEME!"

Tsuna cringed as Ryohei was ambushed by a certain someone's metal kneecaps. "Aaah~ I'm sooo happy that you decided to come here to my embrace! We know what you came for, of course," Lussuria smirked at the chemist, whose protectors immediately stood in front of him. "But nevertheless, being able to see those _extremely_ _livid _body outside the ring is just sooo amazing!" Lussuria licked his own lips happily.

Tsuna was disgusted at the man's blatant show of necrophilia. The brunet looked towards the head of Security department in his lab pointedly.

Ryohei then grinned widely and nodded. "Leave it to me, Sawada," he said as he stripped his lab-coat and red jumper off in one swift move. "I fought this guy in the ring once, it's extremely impossible that I'll fail." Tsuna looked towards the other members of the lab, who nodded.

"Very well, don't lose, Sasagawa-senpai. It's an order." Tsuna left the sunny head of security and ran further into the building. He could hear Lussuria's sickening laugh and shrill voice. "I'm sooo going to enjoy this, _boy._ I will show you that I'm like, a _totally _different man!"

The rest of the gang ran inside the building. It was a straight path until they barged into a wooden door, where a certain spiky haired man with beard shaped like a lightning bolt stood firmly on top of a metal-made web.

Tsuna couldn't help but thought that Leviathan was the perfect example of how piercing could go wrong for some people. Unlike Skull-san, whose chain-piercing complimented his face and purple makeup, Levi just made his face three times worse than it already was.

"No one passes me! I won't let any of you brats reach the boss!" This time, Chrome took out her short staff and hit it to her thigh, making it extend until it was taller than herself. "Please go, Chief Professor. If Lambo can handle him, I know that I can as well." She whispered determinedly as the old man took out his electric umbrellas. "Chrome..." Tsuna hesitated, but Chrome shook her head. "I can do this." She reassured him and stood on the metal web.

But when he was about to say yes, a figure came running from the door, panting miserably. "I'll *cough* fight him!" Tsuna, Gokudera and Yamamoto couldn't believe their eyes as Chrome ran to the panting figure. But before she reached her lover, an electric current shocked her to her bone, making her scream.

"CHROME!" Gokudera-kun shouted to the woman, who slammed to the floor after the impact. "You... You big fat ugly old fart! Don't touch my girlfriend you fucking bastard!" Lambo swore as he leapt to Levi's neck. His right hand rested firmly on the man's neck while his left took out a stun gun from his student council blazer's pocket.

"Kiddo!" Yamamoto exclaimed, clearly shocked. "Since when did Chrome become your girlfriend?!" Tsuna rolled his eyes to the baseball player. "That's not the point!" Lambo shouted as he struggled with the man, who also tried to use his electric umbrellas. "Take her and leave! I'll take care of this old fart!"

Tsuna then looked towards Yamamoto and Gokudera-kun, who both nodded. Gokudera put her on Yamamoto's shoulder while examining her. "She's just unconscious... weird. It's like she's been shocked like this before..."

"That's not important right now. We have plenty of time to ask her later. We should leave." Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto (who was carrying Chrome) ran away from the room.

This time, the path has few twists and turns. But it didn't bother him because his fully turned on instincts told him which path he needed to take. And just before they could reach the exit, which was another wooden double doors, a couple of knifes were thrown to them.

"Ushishishi, you shall not pass~" Price the Ripper, Belphegor, said with a sickening Cheshire grin on his face. "You!" Tsuna put his hands to his lab coat pockets, but Gokudera beat him by throwing a couple of syringes to the man's direction.

The explosion occurred not a second later. "Please leave this one to me, Tenth." Gokudera said as he pulled his glasses out of his breast pocket and put it on. He also tied his hair in a ponytail, Tsuna knew that those gestures meant Gokudera-kun was serious.

"Ooh? If it isn't that punk with the dynamites. Come to take revenge on the prince?" He said as he took out more of his knifes. "Hmph, the days I fuck around in Milan is over, Belphegor! I'm now the Vice Chief-Professor of Sicilia Scuola Pubblica Laboratory! A proud scientist serving under the Tenth Chief Professor: Tsunayoshi Sawada!" He took out three syringes and held them in between his right hand's fingers. "Please go, Tenth. I have grudge to settle with this person."

Tsuna tensed, but eventually nodded his head. "Please settle my grudges too, Gokudera, no, Hayato-kun." Tsuna then turned away from the silver-head and nodded to his first best friend, who then kicked the wooden doors and barge through.

They ran another straight path before reaching a door with intricate painting of mist plastered on it. "This is Viper-san's part of the manor..." Tsuna whispered to the tall teen, who only nod goofily.

As they entered the room, a strong smell of a very familiar substance invaded their noses. "Don't breathe in this gas! This is Mammon's Misty Illusion!" Chrome instantly woke up and used her staff to block some of the rocks thrown on their way.

"Only one person I know would use such a cheap trick..." Chrome looked up to the staircase, where a teen with large frog-shaped hat sat lazily. "Hey, long time no see, Nagi." The teal-haired teen greeted her lazily.

"My name is Chrome!" The girl seethed angrily. "Don't you dare call me by the name _they _used to call me with. Only my brother is allowed to that!" Tsuna and Yamamoto looked surprised at Chrome's sudden vitality. She was shocked by an electric current, after all.

"You should leave, Chief Professor, Yamamoto-san. I could never ever forget this presence. The presence- the person who was always there when those Estraneo scientists tortured me and my brother... Fran Fortran!" She exclaimed to the teal-haired teen, who didn't look interested at all.

"But Chrome..." Tsuna started, but then, another indigo-colored smoke interrupted him. "Kufufufu, _do _let me join the fun, my cute Chrome." They all turned their heads to see a man with blue hair and heterochromia eyes staring at the two other illusionists with a smirk on his face.

"Mukuro-sama!" Chrome gasped. Tsuna knew that she was surprised, but she also sounded extremely relieved and happy.

"Mukuro." Tsuna addressed the blue-haired Vice-President calmly. "Although seeing you in a broken state was an amusement, I do have to admit that seeing you in your normal attitude is the best, Tsunayoshi Sawada." Mukuro drawled with a chuckle. But then his expression turned into a much more serious one. "Leave. I shall help with my sister's fight. We don't need any of you in the battle of illusionists." With that, both Tsuna and Yamamoto was on another room altogether. And judging by the rain painting plastered on the door in front of them, they could safely assume that this was their next destination.

Yamamoto kicked the door down and was greeted by a huge blast of water to his face. "VOOOI! COME HERE AND FACE ME, KATANA-BRAT!" A white-haired male with long hair shouted at Yamamoto, who turned to Tsuna with a grin. "Go. Wish me luck, Tsuna!" With that, the tall-teen took out his bamboo sword and swung it so hard that it turned to a real-life katana. "As you wish, Squalo!" Yamamoto swung the sword - Shigure Kintoki - as hard as he impact was so hard that Squalo got blasted with a huge blast of water as well. "I'm so going to neuter your ass today!" As the swordsmen exchanged blows, Tsuna ran to the door, heading to the next room.

It was a very spacious room with paintings of clouds on the wall. It was gorgeous, it was lovely, it was beautiful. Except for the fact that it was blown into smithereens.

"What on hydrocarbon's sake happened here...?" Tsuna marveled at the mass destruction that happened in the room.

A huge broken robot lied messily on the floor, its parts were scattered and one of its arm was torn off cleanly and tossed across the room. It was clear that it was the source of the explosion that had destroyed the room. The chemist wondered who could have done such a brilliant job.

Then he spotted a bright red armband with yellow _Disciplina _emblazoned on its surface.

Tsuna let out a small smile before heading to the next room. It was a straight path to the painting of a red sunset-sky.

Tsuna took a deep breath and poured a corrosive liquid to the door. He entered a dark room with several TV screens on the wall as the only light source. He noticed that it showed his friends' fight.

The chemist was about to do a relieved sigh before two orange blasts destroyed the screens. "Looking for this?" A man with red eyes and scars all over his face dangled a vial that contained some purple-colored liquid with a smirk marring his face.

Tsuna's entire body tensed as the leader of Varia stomped out of a room with two red Xs emblazoned proudly on its surface. He clicked his tongue before putting the vial back to his pocket and readied his gun.

"Then come and get it, Sawada!"

Tsuna sighed and put the huge cello case he had been carrying on the ground. He opened the case and took out a huge sniper rifle. It was his imaginary gun. The only weapon he hadn't dared to show Reborn or Verde (and not to mention, Iemitsu) about. It was too big, too heavy, too flashy, and yet it was his absolute favorite.

Nuts, that was its name.

Nuts had a long body with intricate orange flame designs all over its sleek, black body. It was shaped like Colonnello-san's rifle, only much heavier.

He kneeled on the ground as he lifted Nuts and pointed it to the man's scarred face.

"Let's begin then, Xanxus."

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

"Nene!"

A brunette with brown eyes turned to her caller. "Yes?" She asked as she pushed her glasses up her nose bridge. Her coworkers were all together, and like her, they all donned the same lab coats and IDs. A male scientist approached her. "We're going to get some booze! Do you want to come?" Nene resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She won't ever do alcohol... again, she admitted. The only one occasion Nene didn't regret regarding alcohol was the night Giotto took her virginity. The others? She'd rather not talk about it.

"No, thank you. I don't drink alcohol and I'm visiting my brother tonight." She threw a small smile before turning away from her coworkers. It might be seen as rude, but everyone knew that Nene Minagawa was a no-joke kind of person. The only person whose joke she could stomach was Giotto Vongola, but none of her coworkers would know that.

Nene worked in Millefiore Industries' Research and Development department. As everyone knew, Millefiore, along with CEDEF/Vongola/Varia and Sparks Industries were the top three contenders of weaponry world. She actually invented the bullets, measured the gunpowder, and designed the guns. She liked chemistry while in high school and yet she never thought that she'd be a weapon-designer.

She studied the chemistry in Vongola University, got knocked up by the person she was secretly in love with (she never regretted it, mind you), and she never expected that she'd up in Baskerville or even the Millefiore Industries, where she was making a name for herself.

Sure, she wasn't an internet phenomenon like Tsunayoshi Sawada was, but at least when the civilization heard the name Nene Minagawa, most of people would relate it to chemistry.

The brunette sighed as she entered her car. She didn't really need to visit Tooru tonight, but she might as well. Nene was a workaholic, and the only thing that amused her was the Supermoto Stuntman. She loved motorcycles, but lacked the capability to do anything with it. So, here she was, an average Japanese young woman with nothing better than work to do...

...other than finding her supposedly dead son.

Tooru said that it was useless. She shouldn't be trying to find what was gone already, but she didn't feel like it was gone. Her son was still alive, she knew it somehow. So instead of finding a new man (or just blatantly marry Giotto) to settle down and have lots of kids with, Nene wanted to find _him_. The son she never got to name.

Suddenly, a Japanese song titled Blue by BigBang blared from her phone. She pressed the green button and put it on loudspeaker as she put the phone on the dashboard so she could drive. "This is Nene speaking." She said with a little sigh. _"What's up, Nene?" _An utterly familiar raspy baritone came from the phone.

"Oh, nothing is up. How may I help you, Giovanni?" Nene asked calmly. _"Fuck. I did ask you to call me G, didn't I? You're Giotto's woman, you can do that." _Giotto's best friend said with a sigh. "Language. Besides, I didn't want to call you something that familiar until I really know where I stand with Giotto." To say that Nene was dating Giotto was the truth, but even she herself didn't know that sometimes.

She obviously loved Giotto and only a fool couldn't see that Giotto is head-over-heels in love with her, but none of them really established that they were dating. They didn't even meet each other that much, only occasionally and have a dinner-date and a proposal sequence during the October 14th. But other than that, they have their own lives. They have their own attempts to find their missing son.

_"You're the woman who had his kid. There's no way he'd ever replace you." _There was a slight irritation in his voice, Nene could hear it as well as she could feel it. "I know he won't. So, why are you calling me, Giovanni?" Nene asked curiously.

_"Okay, you got me. I called you because I want to say happy belated birthday." _Nene furrowed her eyebrows. "Happy belated birthday? Giovanni, my birthday is next month, November 23rd." She deadpanned. It wasn't like she wanted to force the redhead to remember her birthday. It's just that it was weird that Giovanni called her to say happy belated birthday when it was only October.

_"Wait, really? So why is Giotto acting like spastic nutcase trying to find a gift for a chemist? You're the only chemist I know Giotto would care enough to give a gift to." _Nene pushed her glasses up her nose bridge as she thought about it. Giotto didn't really show his spastic, obnoxious, and crazy self to the world. He only showed his calm, cool, handsome and manipulative self. There were only six people other than herself that he showed _that_ side of him. And none of them was a chemist.

"Hmm... I don't know why as well. I'll ask him myself."

_"Oh my god. Thanks for doing that. He's been pestering me for hours now, he said that he was late. So I'll just hang up and try to calm him down." _Nene chuckled at that. Calming Giotto's spastic rambling was like asking for an infinite world peace, impossible. "Good luck with that." And then G hung up on her.

As soon as Giovanni's call got cut off, a text message appeared on her phone.

_As a Chemist, what would you want as your birthday present?_

_-Gio_

Nene rolled her eyes, Giotto could be so unromantic. Didn't he know that he was actually asking her what she wanted for her birthday to double with this mysterious chemist he wanted to give a present to? Well, whatever. It wasn't any problem at all, after all. Nene wasn't some lovesick girl who wanted attention all the time.

_As a Chemist? I think I would want something made of Titanium._

_-Ne2_

Titanium-made jewelries were expensive, but it was one of very few things she really wanted in life. It was said that once you've worn a Titanium jewelry, it was highly likely that you will get addicted and would want to do anything to keep it. Although it was a little weird because she didn't understand how it could happen.

_I see. Thx for your input._

_-Gio_

See? Clearly unromantic. Nene laughed.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

They had been in this battle for almost two hours with no conclusions.

Xanxus had barricaded the door with the rubbles, so asking for reinforcements for both parties would be impossible. And Tsuna was down to his only two bullets after blasting most part of the room into the oblivion.

The room was clearly outdoor now, since a blast of Xanxus' X-guns had made its way to the ceiling and it crumbled into bits of pieces. Tsuna was panting hard as he kneeled, trying to keep his gun steady.

"Stand up, trash! Stand up and face me like man instead of using that fucking rifle!" The leader of Varia cursed loudly. The Chemist didn't let go of his gun. "Well then, if you won't come that _I _would! Prepare to die, trash!" Xanxus charged towards the kneeling chemist.

"There's a reason why I have to kneel when I'm using this gun, Xanxus." Tsuna smirked and waved the gun directly to Xanxus' face, and the man unexpectedly flew backwards."It's because of the weight," and he wasn't lying. The brunet was struggling hard to just keep on kneeling as he talked. "Damn trash!" Xanxus said as he regained his balance.

Tsuna dropped his gun to the ground and took out his favorite weapons from within his lab coats. "Hmph, those must be your best weapons." Xanxus said mockingly. "Indeed it is," the chemist nodded.

"Let's try it, shall we!" The bigger man fired a bullet and Tsuna threw one of his vials with a flick of his wrists. "Haha! There's no way your fucking test tube can do a thing against my bullet!" The leader of Varia laughed out loud.

"Think again, signor." Tsuna smirked.

As the test tube broke by the bullet's impact, the substance within immediately covered the bullet. "What the fuck?! It corroded?!" Xanxus exclaimed incredulously.

"That's right," Tsuna answered with a smile. "Currently, the only material capable of withstanding my corrosive Harmony solution... is Titanium." The chemist instinctively touched his Jolly Roger earring. "Please give me the antidote. I don't appreciate having my... guardian being poisoned."

"Guardian? Bitch! He's Viper's boy-toy, isn't he?" Tsuna's face contorted into pure rage. How dare he... _How dare he called Skull-san that?! _Besides, even when Tsuna had had his shares of thinking negatively about Viper-san and Skull-san's relationship, he had concluded that they were just best friends, the best pair of friends in the world. Their relationship was actually beautiful! He seethed.

"Don't speak of him! You don't even know him!" Tsuna lashed out angrily. "You want me to shut up? Then come up and fight me for real, scum!" Xanxus stood up as he discarded his torn Varia jacket. Tsuna also stood up, but he refused to take his lab coat off. He wanted to see this as the head of Sicilia Scuola Pubblica's Chief Professor to the very end.

"Let's settle this, trash!"

"I wouldn't have it any other way!"

Both Tsuna and Xanxus ran to one another and Xanxus raised his fist. But, Tsuna only broke three vials that contained water on the floor and throw a chunk of metal on it.

Suddenly, the chunk of metal exploded just in front of Xanxus' face. "WHAT THE FUCK- ARRRRGGHH!" Tsuna panted as Xanxus slowly pass out from the extreme pain.

"Natrium..." Tsuna breathed. "Or Sodium, in English. It reacts poorly with H2O. So poorly that it would cause an explosion." With a smile on his face, he went to Xanxus' unconscious figure and got down on his knees.

The brunet took the vial that contained the antidote from Xanxus' pocket and smiled happily.

_Now... Skull-san can be saved..._

And then everything turned dark.

* * *

_**Next:**_

_**Seventh Stunt: Accepting A Confession.**_

* * *

**Italian translation (if you need one):**

_**Disciplina - Discipline**_

_**Signor - Mister**_

**Oh my god, is this real? Did Chiri just updated a story two days in a row? Am I dreaming?**

**Nope! I was really in the mood. So next chapter is the final chapter of **_**Realizing the Feelings **_**arc. Do you want to know why I keep on mentioning arcs, because I already know how things would be for this story's ending.**

**So here I will enlist the summary of each arcs. If you don't want to be spoiled, you can go ahead and skip this part.**

_**A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom**_

_**~The Story Arcs~**_

_**Realizing the Feelings arc:**__  
Tsunayoshi Sawada, a genius chemist, Reborn's nephew, and the most wanted weapon-designer in the whole world has always lived a neglected life. But after he moved in with the greatest stuntman of the age named Skull de Mort, new life and new feelings started to grow within them._

_**Family Traps arc:**__  
Families have always been one of the most intricate things for both Tsuna and Skull, so paying them no heed is always the best solution for them. But when things about their families started to unravel, Tsuna and Skull had never felt so trapped in a complicated web that was called 'Family' before._

_**Nuclear Flowers arc:**__  
The Millefiore is done waiting. Using almost everything in their disposal to get the weapon-designer to their side was definitely the first plan they think of. And ah, using the chemist's most favorite substance to take something so precious to him was also in the plan._

_**Noble Liquid arc:**__  
In which he struggles to do whatever he can to take back what he had lost, even when he had to do the impossible._

**So that's it! Lol, I feel like it wasn't that much of a spoiler XD**

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**P.S: Vote for your favorite pairings in **_**The Meeting**_** in my profile! **


	18. Seventh Stunt: Accepting A Confession

_**Seventh Stunt: Accepting A Confession.**_

* * *

When Skull woke up, his hands, feet, and generally his entire body felt like it had been slammed by thirteen Oodakos at once.

He could feel something soft on his entire skin, and it was white. He instinctively knew that it was bandages. Where was he? Hospital? Oh reapers, he hated hospital. That place reminded him too much of his dead sister. But he couldn't say anything, not when his mouth was slammed with an oxygen mask. He groaned.

"Skull...?" It was a woman's voice. And even when he didn't get up, he knew that it was Luce. Skull groaned again response, it seemed that it was the only way of communication he could manage right now. "Oh my lord! Skull!" Luce scampered from wherever she was into Skull's bedside.

"Are you feeling okay? Please squeeze my hand if you can hear me." Luce slipped her hand to his bandaged ones. Mustering all the willpower he had, he grasped Luce's hand as hard as he could.

"Ah! There's a slight grasp! Skull, you're conscious! Wait, I'll call the doctor." Luce kept on holding his hand as she reached for the button on his bedside table.

She rambled to the microphone, but Skull's head was still unable to comprehend what she was saying. He felt utterly dizzy and light-headed. And he was sleepy, despite the fact that he just woke up a few minutes ago.

Three minutes later, a couple of nurses and a doctor with green hair entered the room. Wait... why are there two Luces? Why would she wear a white jacket and not her usual orange-striped white dress?

"...hy...'re ther'... two Luces...?" He groaned weakly.

"My name is Uni Romano, Signor de Mort," the doctor said with a small giggle. "Now, what are you feeling? Can you speak?" Skull groaned in response. "Well, it seems that you're not well enough to speak properly. You just recovered from severe poisoning, after all. You should be able to move around in two weeks the quickest."

Skull managed to scoff. "I'll... ma'e it... five da's..." Luce's laughter rung merrily like tolling bells. "I'm sure you would, Skull." Uni gave the two of them a questioning look before shrugging it off.

"Well, if you can." She gave a kind smile to both Arcobalenos. "We can take that oxygen mask off if it makes you uncomfortable," the nurses took off the oxygen mask, Skull groaned in gratitude. Both green-haired ladies laughed.

"We should let you rest. You'll need lots of them." Uni looked towards Luce, who nodded. "She's right, Skull. And I almost forgot that Bianca asked me to tell you that she's dealing with the paparazzi right now. She also said that you should take care of yourself better." Skull groaned again, this time in annoyance.

"Sleep well, Skull." Luce said as she left with Uni and the others. Skull looked towards the ceiling petulantly, thinking that he won't ever fall asleep in a hospital he disliked so much.

But he didn't need anything more than the constant beeping noise of the machine to make him fall asleep.

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

"What can I say? You look ten times wimpier while sitting around doing nothing. You still lack training, Skull." Lal sighed while Reborn laughed.

"Oh c'mon, Lal, he's a wimp even when he actually does something. You're too kind." Reborn chimed. Luce only rolled her eyes and shot them a look of disapproval. "But well, congratulations for not dying, Skull." Reborn smirked. "Indeed. Your vitality never ceases to amaze me. You really do prove the 'only idiots never get sick' idiom." Verde joined in without looking away from his laptop.

"Hey! I'm not an idiot!" Skull said as he pouted childishly. He still couldn't do much after three days of sitting around and it put him on edge. "But you are alright, Skull, that is something." Fon said, ever the calm one.

"Colonnello sends his love. He's flying to Tibet to find Sawada, so we won't need to worry about COMSUBIN for a while." Luce turned serious and nodded thankfully to Lal. "Well, we don't have anyone to worry about for now. Unless something's happening in CEDEF-"

"None whatsoever."

"Okay, so no one." Luce was smiling now. Skull looked around the room tiredly. "Hey, where's Viper?" He asked to Lal, who only sighed. "He's with Varia, of course. Sawada and his friends really pulled a good one to them. Their manor is destroyed and their personnels are heavily injured. Pulling out of nuclear bounty doesn't mean that he's going out of Varia, after all." Skull nodded. Viper won't ever let go the only job he deemed as 'worthy of his service'. They pay good money, as Viper quoted.

Suddenly, Skull felt really sleepy. It must be all those medicine he took under his skin. He was surprised when the doctors actually managed to penetrate his skin so easily, they were usually very sturdy, after all.

He sighed and then put his head on the pillow, drifting asleep.

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

Viper sighed as he took out like the hundredth broken piece of furniture. Why did he have to do this? He didn't even join any of the fun. He exhaled as he looked towards a certain blond with tiara was sitting on the floor across the room, just beside the huge junk pile.

It was because of this certain blond that Skull got hurt. It was because of this certain blond that Skull had to endure all those tortures and poison. It was because of him.

But Viper couldn't hate him. Why? Skull had been the love of his life ever since he could remember. It was utterly logical for him to hate Bel for what he'd done to Skull, but, he didn't.

With another sigh, Viper walked to the junk pile and deposited the broken desk on it. Bel looked up to him, eyes hidden under those persistent spiky blond.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" Viper said as he crossed his arm on top of his hood. "The prince is not an idiot." Bel countered, but it lacked his usual pride and spunk. "You are. You poisoned a civilian, took beating from just one kid-" ("But he fucking injected me with a nitroglycerin!" Bel countered.) "-and you also failed to protect the boss." Viper continued.

"Where were you, Mammon? You were supposed to protect the boss too, weren't you?" Bel said as he pulled the illusionist to sit down beside him. The second-youngest Arcobaleno sighed.

"I'm Viper before I'm Mammon. I'm an Arcobaleno before I'm a Varia. That's just how it is, Bel, that's what I want." Viper shrugged. Bel stared at him, or at least, he thought so. It was so hard to know from how the blond hair covered his eyes.

"That's not what the prince wants. And what the prince wants is what the prince gets." Bel scooted closer to Viper, who didn't move. He only sat straighter. "What do you want from m-" and then, Bel's lips crashed with Viper's.

At first, the illusionist was surprised. But as Bel's electrifying light-blue eyes bore into his own indigo, Viper couldn't say anything.

If kissing Skull was the sweetest thing he'd ever taste (because the stuntman's lips had tasted like melon-flavored calpico), kissing Bel was the hottest thing ever. But it didn't make him feel uncomfortable, it felt so... _right_. It was true that he'd been in love with Skull for as long as he could remember, but he forgot to look at what's around him.

As Belphegor deepened the kiss and pushed him to the ground, fireworks exploded within Viper's mind, making him moan for more.

When Bel pulled away a few minutes later, he didn't want to say that he didn't want his partner to stop. It was too embarrassing and embarrassment cost a lot. It could be a blackmail material and whatnot, after all.

His blond partner was still on top of him, pinning his much more smaller frame to the ground. "And _that_, Mammon..." Bel said as he licked Viper's triangle tattoos. "Is what I want from you." Belphegor showed him his trademark Cheshire grin.

He'd seen before, of course. He'd seen it thousands of time. But this time, Viper didn't know why it caused his heart to flutter.

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

"Luce, is that you? Oh my god, finally! Can you give me some real food? I'm sick of sitting around all day and-"

"H-hello, Skull-san..."

With only two words, Skull shut his mouth and marveled at the sight of a short, petite brunet with lab coats on.

Tsuna looked paler than he usually was, but it wasn't by much. He had heard the story from Bermuda, who found the little chemist on top of Xanxus' body, unconscious. He was holding the vial that contained his antidote for the life of him. It had taken Luce some great deal of time to soothe the sleeping brunet enough to make him let go of the antidote, which was a very big deal for Luce, who'd never had a hard time in soothing and consoling someone.

Skull felt a blush crept on his face. For what? Was it because of the fact that he got rescued by a kid? Was he embarrassed of that fact? Probably. Yeah, that must be it. That sure explained the way his heart race at seeing the kid's utterly calm and serene face, right? Yeah, that must be it.

And, Skull just noticed, Tsuna looked completely and utterly _hot_.

He was wearing his usual attire, a navy blue uniform with blue tie and black slacks under his lab coat. His face was pale, a complexion that not many Italians had. He had huge, clear, and brown eyes that might've looked completely adorable and innocent if it didn't have such a sheer coldness and calculating look on. Tsuna scratched his cheek sheepishly and ruffled his hair, showing a glimmer of silver on his ear.

Jolly Roger.

That had been the words he had spouted his entire sleep. It reminded him of Medea and now it reminded him of Tsuna.

"U-um, Skull-san..." Tsuna called nervously, distracting Skull from his own daydream. "Y-yeah?" Skull replied, equally as nervous. "Do you want to go to the cafeteria? They serve real food there. Yamamoto said that he once ate a good sushi after the doctors helped him with his broken hand." After hearing someone offering him real food, his face lit up instantly. "Oooh! That'd be awesome! Wait, just let me get on my wheelchair..."

The stuntman didn't like the feeling of vulnerability he was exposed to. He'd never gotten hurt in his entire life and having to sit on a wheelchair for weeks had made him feel extremely weak. But, Tsuna certainly didn't show any look of disgust for his weakness. He had been told that he was wimp. Many people did. But he didn't want _Tsuna _of all people, to even _think _that he was a wimp...

Well, that's weird, since when did he care so much about Tsuna's opinion of him?

Once he got comfortable on his wheelchair, Tsuna pushed his temporary 'legs' away from the door. The Chemist walked slowly, as if he was just taking a small stroll.

"Thanks for saving me..." Skull said, keeping his purple gaze to his lap. He didn't dare to see Tsuna's face. The kid could be disgusted by the fact that _he _had to rescue Skull who was the adult and his supposed caretaker, after all. Tsuna didn't say a thing. He only hummed a 'yes'.

"I really mean it. I mean, I'm supposed to be the adult and the one who protects you and I just want to tell you that I'm sorry! Viper said-" The wheelchair stopped for a split second, but then it moved again in a much slower pace.

Why did Tsuna stop when he mentioned Viper? Could it be that...?

"So... you kissed Viper-san, huh?" The little brunet asked. Red exploded on Skull's face. Not because of the fact that he kissed Viper, but of the fact that Tsuna sounded like he was a little bit _hurt_ while saying that.

Reborn will kill him. He will kill him _good_.

"Y-yeah... did you... see it?" _Oh my god please don't say yes. Please don't say yes. Please please please don't say yes! _"Yeah... I did." Skull's heart felt like it was torn to pieces.

Why though? He didn't feel embarrassed about it. He loved Viper, the guy was his best friend. And even when kissing the illusionist had been a very... heart-wrenching moment for both of them, he won't ever feel embarrassed to say it. He didn't even regret kissing Viper. But why did it hurt when Tsuna said that he'd seen it?

"It wasn't Viper..." Skull blurted out. He didn't know why he did though. "Excuse me?" Tsuna asked, his tone was genuinely surprised and curious. "I wasn't- I mean, Viper isn't- I mean I wasn't... ugh... this sucks..." Tsuna giggled a little, and Skull's inside turned warm. He was happy that Tsuna was laughing.

Wait... since when did he start feeling happy if Tsuna laughed? It used to be he was glad that he wasn't upsetting the brunet so the kid won't tell him on to Reborn. Back then, it was 'how to avoid Reborn's wrath' and now, it was all Tsuna, Tsuna, and Tsuna.

He groaned.

"A-ah? Are you feeling sick? Does something hurt?" Tsuna's voice cracked. Skull realized that from the little chemist. Whenever he felt nervous, he would lose some bits of his confidence. Skull shook his head. "No, no, I'm just fine." Skull smiled to the kid... who spontaneously turned red.

That's odd.

"Tsuna..." Skull began, sounding utterly nervous and unsure about himself. "Oh for all grim reapers I need my helmet..." Skull whispered to himself, but Tsuna seemed to hear it. "You're cute when you're acting like a spazz, Skull-san." The chemist giggled as he pushed the wheelchair along the empty halls. Skull turned beet red again. Oh god, why exactly does Tsuna have this effect on him? It's just so... so _right_.

"I'm not sorry that I kissed Viper..." Skull breathed, once again, he kept his gaze on his lap. He hated his hospital gown. Why wasn't it black or purple? "But... I knew that it wasn't him. I wasn't... I- I wasn't in love with..." He took a deep breath and steeled himself as he faced the brown eyes. "Viper. I wasn't in love with Viper." Suddenly, the stuntman felt like he just finished jumping through a hoop of fire. Like a lid that weighed a ton just got lifted from his chest.

Tsuna stopped the wheelchair abruptly, making Skull flinch at the sudden halt. "I'm sorry! Did it hurt anywhere?" He asked, and Skull only shook his head. "No, I'm fine." He reassured the kid. He wanted to say that even though he was injured, it didn't mean that he had turned into a glass furniture, but he dismissed Tsuna's excessive worrying as normal because he was sick.

Tsuna took a deep breath and exhaled it in relief. "I swear you always make my heart twist in the weirdest way." Skull would have felt like dying if Tsuna didn't sound like it was just a casual remark. "Oh, I don't mean it to be a negative comment! A-ah, oh, oh my potassium nitrate! I'm just, uh, I..." Tsuna then sighed. "I'm just so in love you that it drives me crazy, Skull-san..." He ended it with another sigh.

Skull was stunned on his wheelchair. He didn't move, didn't speak, didn't even _breathe_. Oh my reapers. Did he hear him right? Did Reborn's nephew just say that he was in love with him? _Him? __**Wimpy Skull? **_

"Are you... kidding with me...?" Skull trembled. He didn't want to feel betrayed and messed around with again. His father and mother did that to him very thoroughly, thank you very much. He didn't want to feel that again with a person whom he cared very much about right now. Tsuna.

Tsuna then stopped the wheelchair, making Skull face him. Tsuna looked nervous, but not as much as train-wreck as he was. "I don't normally 'kidding' with anyone." Tsuna said with a very serious face, but sweat was forming on his temple. "I... am in love with you." The brunet's face contorted into what Skull identified as kindness and curiosity. "I was jealous at Viper-san for kissing you and knowing sides of you that I don't know. I didn't come to rescue you, and I regretted it. I... I could have done something... for you... I'm sorry..." Tsuna's voice cracked again. Skull knew that Tsuna must be feeling really bad about it.

"I... I knew from Viper that I could be gay, but..." _Am I in love with you? _was the unspoken question.

Tsuna seemed to understand what Skull was feeling, so he smiled and tilt his utterly adorable brown head. "Skull-san, please close your eyes and take a calming breath. Whose face appears in your mind?" The chemist smiled fondly when he said that.

Skull took a deep breath and close his eyes.

Medea's face came first. But then Skull smiled sadly. _Medea's gone..._

And then came Viper and Luce. They both offered their arms to him. They were, and still are, his family...

And then came the Arcobaleno, a smile graced his face. But, none of the stayed long. Until the last one.

Tsuna.

Tsuna on his t-shirt and pajama pants, happy that he could get away from the family that neglected him.

Tsuna on his t-shirt and shorts under his lab coat, strutting around in his kitchen with chemistry set and calpico all over the table.

Tsuna on his tartan-patterned shorts and black t-shirt with 'No O2 = No World' written in white plastered on top of it, the perfect attire for an outing in amusement park.

Tsuna on his white-and-purple jacket, getting ready for the Mort Games.

Tsuna with his Jolly Roger earrings.

Tsuna, Tsuna, Tsuna.

"I... It's you..." Skull whispered. "Your face appeared, d-dame-Tsuna." Skull's face turned utterly red. He smiled to the chemist, who looked shocked, relieved, and happy... all in one expression.

They both smiled at one another at their newfound bond. Realizing the feelings were hard and agonizing, but now, it felt so right. It felt so _good_.

Skull looked around the empty halls before turning his purple gaze to Tsuna's own brown. His face was still red and he was completely flustered. "So..." he asked nervously. "Are we a couple now?" Tsuna's face turned into a darker shade of red than how it was before. But then, he kneeled in front of the stuntman's wheelchair and put his hands on top of the stuntman's own.

"Are we?" Tsuna asked in return. Skull wanted to avert his face away from the chemist's intense loving gaze, but he couldn't. He couldn't stop staring at Tsuna's beautiful brown eyes. But then, he narrowed his eyes in confusion. "How does one accept a confession anyway?" He asked to the smarter one of the two.

Tsuna laughed and then his laugh then faded into a very gentle smile. "Only one way to find out." The chemist leaned in closer to the stuntman's slightly purple lips.

It felt like nothing he had felt before, _in a very good way._

It felt like he just jumped over a hundred hoops of fire in one jump, it felt like he was sitting on top of all the things purple, it felt like purple fireworks was shooting across his mind.

Tsuna's lips felt like the original-flavored calpico, Skull's personal favorite, mixed with all other things sweet. He could feel Tsuna's warm cheek colliding with his chain-piercing. He felt pleasant, glad, and _loved_. Skull wanted to cry from extreme happiness, but it seemed that the chemist had beat him to it.

But they didn't stop their kiss. They didn't use tongues, only lips colliding with one another as they changed angles again and again, but it felt really pleasant. When Tsuna pulled away, Skull felt like another part of him was pulled away with the little chemist, _his _little chemist.

"So... are we a couple?" Tsuna was the one asking this time. His face turned into a full-blown smile.

"Absolutely!" Skull laughed merrily. He'd never felt this happy in forever. And he hoped that it stayed that way as they both made their way to the cafeteria.

* * *

_**Next:**_

_**Covalent Bond.**_

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**Okaaay! This marks the end of the first arc in my story! How do you think? Please leave a review... the lack of reviews make me very sad... :"( *request shamelessly***

**Next chapter has... hmm... what does it have? Someone from de Mort family maybe? A visit to Millefiore hospital by Nene maybe? Or... a meeting between Giotto and Natsu maybe? Who knows~**

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**Soul Vrazy - Wrooong! I updated **_**three **_**chapters in a week! XD**

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**Vikky Plushie**** - *blushes* I'm a really slow writer so... well... yeah *blushes* Thanks for loving my writing (though it's full of mistakes XD)**

**Celine99 - Um, I learn all the Japanese I know from anime so I couldn't counter it, but I must say that in my perception, "Onii" means brother and "-san" was the honorific. Natsu is a spoiled kid who thinks that everyone likes him so he could get away with calling people without honorifics. And therefore, he only says 'Onii' to Tsuna. And that's also why the others (Aria and Lambo) calls Tsuna Onii-san and Onii-chan respectively, because they still think that Tsuna might not like it if he was called without honorifics. Thanks for liking this story!**

**XxAlysxX - Then you and your friend are both awesome! For liking my story ;D and getting your inner pyro out! I love fireworks too and I can get them all year long here, I hope you guys have fun with the fireworks!**

**Tenshi-Oujosama**** - I like it too, I like my mind the best when ideas are flowing like a river! And yeah, I did base Nene from the simple thinking of 'how would Nana actually be if she's intelligent and perceptive?', I'm glad that you like her XD And yeah, Giotto could be a bit oblivious so he could come across as an unromantic to his real girlfriend despite the fact that he was a well-known charmer across the mafia world XD**

**Well, I guess that is all. Please review!**

**P.S: And vote for your favorite pairing in my profile guys! C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! XD**


	19. Covalent Bond

_**Covalent Bond.**_

* * *

Nene was crying. And it was one of the occasions that Giotto won't ever forgive whoever dared to make his tough, hard-headed woman cry and an occasion that Nene herself feel uncomfortably vulnerable with. She hated the fact that a simple talking session could make her tears pour out like crazy, it drove her insane. Nene never _wanted _help in her affairs before, thinking that only weak women did that, but in the back of her mind, she _really _wished that Giotto was here with her, backing her up in her every words.

"Your daughter is gone, Miss Minagawa. There's nothing else we can do about it."

Miss Romano sounded tired. Why wouldn't she? She'd probably be doing something else more useful like resting if Nene didn't pester her with the talk she always brought to Millefiore Hospital every month of the year. Her son.

"My _son _is alive, Miss Romano. That dead girl you gave me all those years ago _was not mine_." Nene practically seethed the words. She refused to just stammer her words, because to her... even crying was indignant enough.

"You didn't have a son, Miss Minagawa. Your baby was a girl." There was a slight waver in Miss Romano's words. She knew that Miss Romano wasn't as slippery as her brother, so she kept on convincing herself that from those wavering words, her son is alive.

"I had the ultrasound test with Doctor Kikyo, one of the best in this hospital! And the screen even showed me that it was a boy!" Tears kept on leaking, but her words were firm. This month... this month would be a different one. She kept on hoping that it will be a different one. This time, she will have _something _about her son.

"Maybe Kikyo was wrong then!" Miss Romano's voice cracked as well. Why though? It made her curious.

"I don't have time to deal with you right now, Miss Minagawa. Please just go." Nene left quietly, thinking that she will _not _make a scene like some crazy hormonal women just because the doctor didn't have time to deal with her at the moment. When Nene opened the door, she was met with a very cheerful looking man clad in a very funky style of clothing.

"Oooh! Fancy seeing you here, Nene-chan!" And then when she got to the man's face, she was met with purple tattoo and purple eyes. She immediately knew who it was.

Byakuran Gesso.

Nene really had little amount of people she would admire in her life. It was just because of the fact that she didn't fancy the idea of living in the ideal of another person. She just needed to be herself and see how that took her in life. And so far, she hadn't gotten any problems for that.

But, there _were _people that made that list. One of them was Giotto, another one was Alaude, Giotto's very important colleague, who showed her that only the strongest survives. And another one was this person.

Byakuran Gesso. Head of the _entire _Millefiore businesses, which was saying something because Millefiore was ridiculously vast. Health care, technology, weaponry, social services, you name it, they have it. And brother to Uni Romano, the medical prodigy. The white-haired man was eccentric and he intimidated the hell out of Nene.

Nene only nodded at the man and excused herself, but she didn't leave. She only closed the door and leaned on the wall beside Miss Romano's door.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

"You looked wrecked, Uni." Byakuran said airily as he sat in front of his green-haired sister. "Do you want a hug?" He asked jokingly, but what surprised him was the fact that Uni actually leaned forward. "Byakuran... what should I do? Am I making the same mistake I did last time-"

"Hush, don't mention that." Byakuran hugged Uni gently. He smiled as tenderly as he could to his sister. They both had been through so _so _much together. The girl was practically the reason why he's living right now. The white-haired man cupped his baby sister's face with his gloved hands. "I promise you Uni. No more of that mistake, hell, you didn't even make that mistake. I'll create an utopia for you, we'll be number one in everything. We'll get everything that we ever want. Now look at me and smile, okay?" When Uni showed him a grin, he smiled.

"She deserves the truth, you know?" Byakuran whispered. Uni looked at him incredulously. "You don't mean..."

"I mean it. Uni, she's the same as us. Giving her a little bit of happiness couldn't hurt, right?" Whims. That was definitely what made him say these things. Both he and Uni knew that his whims were always what made both them happy and cheerful again. Eventually, Uni sighed.

"All right, we'll tell her. But only the necessary bits, right?" Uni's blue eyes then twinkled with mischief that Byakuran loved the most about his kind-yet-spunky sister. "Of course, Uni!" Byakuran's eyes went to door before laughing out loud. "Come on in, Nene, we'll tell you what you want!"

When Uni's kind stare and his own mischievous ones met with Nene's shocked ones, the Gesso-Romano siblings laughed.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

_"Bonjour, Medea." _

Tsuna woke up sleepily to a very naked Skull smiling to a picture the stuntman glued on his cupboard with only a towel wrapped around his waist. The chemist giggled softly, still not used to the good ray of Saturday sun. He was still tired from watching the stuntman sleep last night...

Wait, he wasn't creeping at Skull-san like a psychotic vampire, he was just being worried. Staying under one roof with Luce-san and an utterly adorable sick Skull-san could do that to you.

The day after they become a couple, a very flustered Viper-san was escorted to the door by a certain Varia member. Tsuna had been wary and hostile at first, but then the knife-thrower didn't linger long. He only said that he 'came here so Mammon won't throw his money off the nearest male he saw'. It was utterly insulting, but Viper-san's ears went red as he mumbled a 'just go away, Bel' to the blond.

Upon hearing that they both were a couple, Luce-san was ecstatic at the news. She said that she was happy for them. Viper-san looked slightly sad, but then he only shook his head and congratulated him.

Tsuna was utterly jealous of Viper-san's extensive knowledge of Skull-san. Like the fact that Skull-san was a quarter French because his father's mother came from French. He also didn't know that Skull-san was actually fluent in French and sounded 'extremely sexy' when he spoke the language.

All in all, being here, in their condo, in Skull-san's bed after a warm and snuggly goodnight sleep, was a very great place to be back to.

The little brunet smiled as he watched the stuntman struggle with his wardrobes. But then it wasn't something new to see his cute stuntman struggle with anything really.

A chuckle escaped his lips as he rolled around in the blanket until he was on the edge of bed, rolled inside a very warm blanket. "You're wearing a suit today?" He said, a little amused. He'd never seen Skull-san in a suit before.

And like how he envisioned, the stuntman wore a purple dress-shirt with a very interesting (and not to mention, _rare_) black bow tie with a skull in the middle. He wore it loosely, like how he wore the entire tuxedo. Skull-san smiled. "Oh, you're awake, Tsuna." The stuntman looked slightly off today, unlike his usual lazy yet happy groan.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" The purple-haired stuntman rolled his eyes as he sat down beside the cocoon-shaped chemist and touched his cheek with his fingers gently. "Shut it, dame-Tsuna. Stop worrying so much." The stuntman chuckled as he said that. "It's just that... today's Medea's death anniversary. So, you know, yeah..." The stuntman stammered, but then he took a deep breath and gave Tsuna a very unexpected kiss on his forehead. "I'm going to be home late."

Tsuna looked confused, hell, he really was confused. Why would the stuntman even celebrate his sibling's death? Death anniversaries... what was he supposed to do with that? "What do you do in Death anniversaries?" Tsuna asked curiously.

Skull only smiled sadly. "Wanna come with me? I promise you that it'll be depressing." The stuntman chuckled. Tsuna sat unrolled himself from the blanket and sat beside the stuntman. They stared into each other's face for a while before Tsuna leapt to the stuntman's lap and sat on it with a smile. "You're cute." Tsuna smiled.

Skull laughed out loud. "Naah," The stuntman pushed him to the bed and leaned on top of the chemist without actually putting any weight on the smaller boy's body. "_You're _cute, silly."

And for both of them, even fifteen days of these kissing sections was not enough. Not enough _at all_.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

Giotto was overwhelmed.

It was a younger version of the boy that could have been his son. The younger version of Tsunayoshi Sawada, only with a pair of sunset-colored that eerily matched his own instead of Iemitsu's own light brown ones. It scared him.

"Excuse me, sir, I was told that my dad and my brother worked here. Can I, you know, see them?" The kid was short, but still taller than his son- well, _supposed _son. And he spoke in Japanese, a language that Giotto mastered a few years ago just so he could court Nene properly. He immediately knew who this kid was.

Natsuhiko Sawada, second son of the Sawada Family and according to Iemitsu, his prideful little sunshine.

"Iemitsu's still in the meeting. And... who's your brother?" Giotto was stupid for asking this question. But who cares? He was curious and he wanted to know what the answer was. The little kid smiled a brilliant smile that he once saw on Nana Sawada's face in one of the Vongola cocktail parties, a smile he'd never seen from Nene or Tsuna before. "His name is Tsunayoshi Sawada, and yeah, he's _the _genius chemist." Giotto tried to mask his apparent frown. How could this kid boast about his brother's accomplishments so lightly? Didn't he know that Tsuna might be offended if this kid flaunted his popularity like _he _owned it?

_Whoa, buddy, he's just a kid. Doesn't mean any harm._

"I see," Giotto smiled pleasantly, almost robotically. "Your brother doesn't work for my company per se... Vongola... or CEDEF, I guess, is just one of companies he works for." The kid looked confused, but then his face lit up and he looked at Giotto with a very happy stare. "Does that mean my brother is awesome?" Giotto couldn't mask it anymore. He narrowed his eyes almost immediately. "Well..."

"That means that he's awesome, right?"

"Err, yeah..."

"AWESOME!"

The whole lobby stared at them, but one steely smile from the CEO, they all went back to the tasks at their hands. "No need to be loud, kiddo. Who're you again?" Yeah, it would be a little bit creepy and stalker-ish if he already knew who the kid was even when they never actually met, after all. The kid then nodded. "My name's Natsuhiko Sawada, you can call me Natsu. Do you know my brother sir? He's totally awesome, right?"

"Hmm, tell me something, Natsu. Why is it always about your brother? Don't you have anything to say about yourself?" Giotto asked, genuinely curious about that matter.

The brunet's face contorted into that of sadness, but then he masked it with a brilliant smile.

"Why don't we discuss this over at Starbucks? I just got my pocket money, so it's all on me!" Giotto cracked a laugh. "Nonono! That'd be an embarrassment since _I _gave your Dad his pocket money. But sure, let's go to Starbucks." Natsu gasped, almost dropping the skateboard he had in his hand. "_You're _Giotto Vongola?! Really?! That's AWESOME!"

The journey to Starbucks was short with a very excited Natsu hot on his trails with his skateboard. It was really... different. The last time he actually went on a walk with someone of the Sawada family, it had been Tsuna.

The kid was curious and very smart. Well, that was to be expected since he was the weaponry and chemist prodigy, but still, Natsu and Tsuna was very different.

Logically, as a parent, Natsu might have been easier to deal with. Since Tsuna seemed like the type of kid who'd just keep silent at almost everything thrown at him, it would have been easier with Natsu, who's really vocal about what he's feeling... but what made him so insecure to talk about himself? Giotto was curious...

"-get a pure vanilla ice-blended with whipped cream and caramel syrup on top. What about you, Giotto?"

"Ah? Oh yeah, Green Tea Latte would be awesome, thanks." Green Tea Latte, three people loved this drink that it's rubbing to him. First it was Daemon, and then Chrome Dokuro, and the last one that actually made him curious about the flavor, Nene.

"-do that a lot?" The brunet asked again, they were sitting this time. "Ah?" Giotto asked again. "Do you space out a lot?" _Why yes I space out a lot, but then my woman spaces out even more than me so I usually have no problem keeping up a conversation with her_. "Not... really."

"So tell me about yourself, yeah?" Giotto asked as he took a sip of the Latte, thinking of a place that Nene called home. Maybe he'd take her there in their retiring days to just... enjoy their lives.

"I... used to have a perfect life, you know?" He sighed, putting down his vanilla drink. "My mom is the best mom ever. She's pretty, she's nice, she's a great cook and everything... her only flaw was the fact that she was a ditz. Dad was just... awesome. He's so... bold and brave and adventurous... he always has awesome stories to tell me." The kid smiled a little. "And then Onii... Gods, Onii is the most complex part of my life. He is cold, but kind. Confident, but easily flustered. And he has weird tastes. I love him so much, but I seemed to be the reason why he is so bitter..."

_So he realized that himself... _Giotto thought to himself. He only nodded and asked the kid to continue. "It h-hurts..." His voice cracked and he frantically rubbed his own face until it was red. "I love him so much. I look up to him so much. But he only treated me as if I was just an obstacle on his way to happiness. I never noticed how much Onii contributed to my happiness until he's... gone, you know? The day that funky weird gothic stuntman took him away was the most unpleasant day of my life. I was so sure that Onii would want to stay, but then he left, telling us that the perfect Sawada family doesn't have his name in it. It was just so painful..." He then broke down into sobs.

The entire cafe then looked at them like they were spectacles, but then Giotto rolled his eyes and cleared his throat in a very threatening way, they all dispersed immediately. He leaned on forward and actually put the sobbing brunet into a hug. "Hush hush, okay? It's alright..."

"Everything started to crumble away with his departure. Mom is heartbroken, Dad is regretting every moment that he didn't spend with Onii, and I don't know what I'm feeling. It's just... _empty_. I have nothing in me that I could say proudly but Onii. Onii was smart, cool, and just... _amazing_. I once have a pet squirrel because I asked for it on my sixth birthday. But, well, I just wanted it for the sake of it, not because I want to take care of a pet. I neglected it, I changed its name like three times a day. But Onii took care of it diligently, and kept on calling it one name: Cosmo... And he treated the little guy so nicely... even nicer than me."

"It just hurts sooo much!" Then the kid turned into a broken sobbing mess in the middle of the cafe. Giotto didn't know what to do about it, and it was all a complete mess. He thought that nothing worse could happen, but then a woman with luscious brown hair in a ponytail entered the Starbucks looking like she'd just ran a marathon came in. "OUR SON IS ALIVE!"

"Oh fuck..." This day was so screwed.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

"This is what you do in Death anniversaries?"

"Yep."

Tsuna had been standing in front of a very cold-looking gravestone for a few hours. As soon as they got there, Skull-san had turned into a statue with his hands on top of his chest. He laid down a lavender bouquet and a very intricate toy skull that can actually cackle if you push one of its teeth.

The brunet took a deep breath and sighed. "Depressing indeed." He said with a little bit of amusement on his tone. That could be a little inappropriate seeing that he was standing in a graveyard. Being amused in a graveyard was _not _a good sign, even by his standards.

"I don't get it though..." Tsuna said, still closing his eyes and praying for a girl he never knew. "Medea...-san is like the Natsu of your life, right? Why would you want to visit her grave?" Skull looked at him incredulously, he immediately knew that he said something wrong. "B-but, it's okay... I was just c-confused that's all..." His voice faltered.

Skull-san's expression turned into a sad one and he pulled the brunet closer to him. "Medea was the first person that taught me kindness. She was the coolest sister I could ever ask for. She's smart, spunky, and cute... even when she disliked any form of extremity. I love her, Tsuna, so she wasn't 'the Natsu of my life', no." Tsuna frowned, he wanted to think that it was unfair. But when the stuntman placed his purple lips on top of his head and kissed him lightly, he opted to just forget that.

But then, Tsuna heard footsteps coming their way and he turned around. "Hmm? What's up, Tsu-"

"Skull...?"

A bulky man with purple hair and brown eyes, he was tall, muscular, and had several piercings on his ear. With only one look, Tsuna knew who he was.

"Dad." Skull-san deadpanned, as if he was already expecting his father to show up. "Skull..." Signor de Mort looked utterly surprised at the fact that he ran to his son here, but then he shook his head and offered him a hand. "Nice to meet you again."

Skull-san shivered, and Tsuna instinctively grasped the stuntman's hand with his own. "Can't say the same. I'm just going to leave now so-"

"I found your mother."

With only one sentence, four words, and sixteen letters, all hells broke lose as Skull-san leapt to Signor de Mort's neck, strangling him.

* * *

_**Next:**_

_**Eighth Stunt: Gothika.**_

* * *

**Okay! It's done~ I really have nothing much to say in this chapter, please review~**

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**Well, I think that's all~ Please review~**


	20. Eighth Stunt: Gothika

_**Eighth Stunt: Gothika.**_

* * *

Freya Lavernia sat idly as she stared to the white wall across her bed.

There were photos there, and in most of them, she was singing. Her clothes made her look like she was a fallen angel. Jet black hair framed her pale face, and it fitted her oddly-colored eyes. Violet, or aubergine as Ven so delicately put it.

She then stared down to herself now. Dark dresses were now replaced with a white hospital gown, vibrant make ups were now wiped away from her face, leaving it pale and colorless. Her hair was disheveled and messy. The only vibrant color in her face was probably her eyes.

She then directed her gaze to the stack of letters in the corner of her room. They're fan letters, Ven had told her, fans were worried about her health and wished her well soon. Freya couldn't care less. What was she thinking about again?

Suddenly, the door was opened. Freya jumped from her bed and went to her knees as she hugged the visitor. "Oh Dante! Dante my child! You've come back to me!" She exclaimed happily as she smiled an ear-to-ear smile.

But the visitor only showed her a sad smile. He was way taller than the person Freya had thought him to be. He ruffled Freya's hair sadly with a half-hearted chuckle. "Hey, Frey... it's me, Ven." Doctor Ventus Lavernia smiled sadly at his sister, who then frowned. "Ven... where's Dante?" As innocent aubergine met with sorrowful violet, Ventus pulled his sister into a hug.

"He's... around, Frey. That's why you have to get better soon and meet him, okay? He's been waiting to see you!" Sweet little lie for sweet little Freya. Ventus had always done this for his most beloved sister. "_Si! _What medicine you want me to take today, Ven? If I take them, will I be able to see Dante?" She asked expectantly, making Ven feel as if they were little again.

"Yes you will, Frey. That's why, be a good girl for me, okay?" Ven smiled a painful smile before helping his younger sister with her medicine. When the youngest Lavernia fell asleep, Ven sighed as he put a blanket over her and leaves the room, locking it as he went.

"It's been 20 years, Ventus." His coworker said as she showed him a sympathetic smile. "Aqua," Ven smiled to his blue-haired coworker. "You're almost 40, and Frey is almost 37. Even if you do find Dante now... he'll be 21, right? You think he's going to just... _believe _that he's another person's son...?" Ven trembled. He knew that Aqua was only stating the truth and she didn't mean any harm. But the missing Dante was pretty much the only thing that supported his beloved little Freya. A frown marred Ven's face as tears prickled down silently from his eyes.

"Ah! Ven, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"_I _know that, Aqua," Ventus murmured to Aqua's chest as the slightly taller female hugged him. "But... Frey _doesn't_. And I don't want to break her any more than this..." He only had her left, and she only had him left. Ven would keep her, even if that meant he had to keep lying to her.

"Ven! Aqua! Eh, wait, are you crying Ven?! Who's the bastard?! Did Van make you cry?! I ought to neuter that guy-"

"Terra! Ven's just worried about Freya, that's all!" Aqua reprimanded with a roll of her eyes. Terra laughed a very awkward laugh before kissing his wife on her cheek. "Sorry baby. Anyways Ven, you gotta see this." Terra handed the youngest member of their friendship (Terra and Aqua are married, yeah, but they were friends waaaay before they were married) a motoGP magazine.

Ventus' eyes couldn't be wider than it was now. There, standing with a grin across his face and a trophy on top of his head was his _sister_. Well, the _male _version of his sister only with purple-hair instead of jet-black ones. Ven gasped as the normally vacant eyes of his sister stared back at him with full-blown pride and glory.

"Oh my God, Ventus!" Aqua gasped as she peered over her friend's shoulder. She remembered that one time when Freya's band, the Gothikas, were performing in the Lucifer dome. On that day, Frey had dyed her hair purple just to match the band's insignia. This boy looked like her.

"Look at this," Terra pried open the magazine to reach the middle page, which showed the picture of Freya's lookalike in a wheelchair, making a peace sign with his bandaged fingers. A pale boy with brown hair and brown eyes peered at the camera, as if daring the paparazzi to come closer and they will be sorry.

"Hmm, 'Skull de Mort, 21, has been sighted in front of the Millefiore Hospital a few weeks ago. Rumor has it that he was injured in one of his training and he had to go to the hospital for it. The winner of the motocross cup has also 'came out of the closet' after he blatantly stated that he was homosexual.' Wait, de Mort... that's the name of the guy who knocked up my sister, ran, and then kidnapped Dante after his first birthday!" Ventus gasped, shock and anger intermingling within his normally airy voice.

"Then... we might have found Dante..." Aqua whispered, awed. Terra nodded. "Thank god Roxy loves these kind of things, huh?" Aqua rolled her eyes. "He's going to be mad if he knew that you called him that." Terra let out a laughter. "Oh please, what he doesn't know won't kill him. And Ven, Van is outside. Tell him to take his goddamn limo out of the hospital's entrance, it's driving the patients crazy."

Ventus blushed at the mention of his boyfriend. He bid Aqua and Terra goodbye before rushing to the limo, where an obnoxious raven-haired male was honking his limo like crazy. Damn, Van really had zero concern to all the mental asylum patients, huh?

"You could have just texted or phone me, you know?" Ven rolled his eyes, clearly displeased. But Van only laughed out loud. "Won't be any fun in that, Venny. Now, how's my favorite sister doing?" Ventus smiled, clearly appreciating the fact that Van's concern over Freya. When they had first gotten together, Ven had been 21 and Van 22. Frey had been admitted to the asylum the day she turned 18, the day her son was kidnapped. He told Van everything. About Frey, about Dante, and the reason why he still wanted to keep his job in the asylum even when Van was already and the heir of the Ludus corp. and can buy Ventus everything he wanted. Van had listened, had hugged him while he cried all of his frustration. Ventus regretted the day he didn't keep a close watch to the sleeping Dante. He also felt frustrated at how fast Freya's mental health deteriorate. He was _scared_.

And Vanitas Ludus had accepted all of that. And Ven was grateful for it.

After he was finished with all his stories, Vanitas had hummed an approval, as usual. The radio was blaring about the god's dark salvation sang by his younger sister, and Ven let himself be swayed by the beautiful voice.

"So, how did your business meeting go?" Ventus asked, not wanting to be the only one who told his story of the day. Van smirked. "Nothing much. I met with the youngest CEO I've ever seen, beside myself, of course. Poor guy, apparently he also lost his son right after he was born and today, his girlfriend told him that their son's still alive. Looks rather disheveled and messy when he came to the meeting. I think his name's Giotto Vongola."

Ventus smiled, slipping his hand on Van's other hand, the one he didn't use to drive. "I see..."

He'll find Dante. Sooner or later. But for now, he'll just indulge in Vanitas' warmth and love.

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

The world seemed to be in stand-still.

Skull shivered as his eyes blurred. He couldn't see clearly, but his heart raged like there was no tomorrow. He felt revolted and angry. He felt really betrayed.

He had stopped with all expectations regarding his father, but when he said that he had 'found his mother', Skull only saw red.

"Skull-san!" He could hear Tsuna's voice pleading to him, but he didn't care. Tears leaked from his eyes like it was a faucet. He was such a wimp. "Skull-san, please stop!" Tsuna pleaded again, louder this time.

"Cerberus!" There was another voice that Skull hated more than anything in this world. The very voice that rejected his existence, wished him dead, and made him believe things that weren't true. Medea loved him, he knew she did- probably still do. But his mother...

"S-Skull..."

How dare she stammered his _name _like that? After she wished him dead and all that stuff... she _dared _to _speak _his name?!

"What do you guys want?!" Skull shouted angrily, tears pooling in his eyes. He felt revolted, angry, and _pissed off_. Medea's death anniversary was always a hard day for him. When he was alone, he used to buy bottles of Vodka away from Luce's bar and dawned on them in his apartment, knowing that Luce and Viper would come and help shape him up. But now that he had Tsuna, he couldn't do that.

But precisely on the day he couldn't be too intoxicated to remember anything, his parents had come to ruin his life.

"Skull-san!" Skull felt a pair of petite arms circling themselves at his waist. He was still trembling hard, but knowing that someone loved him to the point of hugging him just to calm him down... made it all feel bearable. Honestly, there were no words the stuntman could use to describe what he was feeling now. He felt like a seething ball of fire.

"Demi, what are you doing here?" Dad- _Cerberus _asked, glaring at his wife. Skull didn't understand why, but he couldn't care less. "I came here to talk about this." She showed a magazine with pictures of Skull, bright, bold yellow letters that read 'SKULL DE MORT HAS 'JUMPED' OUT OF THE CLOSET!' glared at him. What...?

"How could you shame the name of de Mort family like that, Skull?!" Huh...? This woman came _all _the way to her daughter's graveyard to _friggin' insult his sexuality?! _"-nno what you are thinking! I still share the same name as you and people have been asking if-"

"Shut-!"

"You better back off, lady..." Tsuna was the one stepped up, his test tubes were firm between his fingers. "I don't take kindly of people insulting _my _most precious person. I am perfectly able to kill you, and I'm a student at the Sicilia Scuola Pubblica, I can get my license to kill easily." He seethed maliciously.

Mom- _Demeter _clicked her tongue, clearly taken aback. But she shot a glare to Skull before stomping away angrily. "Don't you think that this is over, Skull!" As she stomped away, Skull let out a breathy sigh. His knees buckled and fell to the ground, trembling like a child as he hugged Tsuna's waist. Even when the world is tumbling down, Tsuna would still be with him. He could count on the little Chemist...

"And this threat extends to you too, Mister de Mort." His younger by 5 years lover showed a very determined glare to the older stuntman, who shook his head.

"Unlike Demi, I am genuinely here to tell you about your mother, Skull." The man said as he kept his gaze intent at the cowering purple-eyed stuntman. "Do you remember the band that Medea used to like?" He asked. Skull looked up, but still hiding behind his smaller lover's back. "The Gothika? Of course I remember." Medea had loved it to bits and she had forced Skull to accompany her buying their CDs when they were kids, after all.

"Don't you used to love it as well?" Skull added bitterly, not sure why he even _remembered _about this man's preferences. "Precisely..." Cerberus de Mort whispered. He steeled himself as he looked towards his son.

"I was a fan of that band. The singer was just a seventeen year old girl. I fell so hard for her, even when I already had your mother, so... I lured her and convinced her to be with me in a night of escapism..." The older stuntman's voice shook. "I never meant for her to get pregnant. I mean, we only did it _once_. But then _you _happened." Skull fidgeted, but Tsuna put a reassuring hand on top of his shoulder.

"I panicked. I didn't want Demi to know about it, so I ran. But then I saw you and her, celebrating your first birthday. You looked so much like her, and once I saw your purple hair, I know that you are mine. I remember seeing you being held by her brother, and I felt angry. I wanted you so much..." Cerberus' eyes flitted to the gravestone behind Skull for a moment before he continued his story.

"But I already had Demi and Medea. I contemplated all my choices, but then I still feel angry. The night you overheard me telling Medea that I didn't want you... it was a lie, Skull. I wanted you so much. That's why I kidnapped you from the hospital all those years ago and raised you as mine, making the whole world believe that you are Demi's son. But of course, Demi knew the truth..."

The older stuntman shed some tears, but he covered it with his hand. "I'm sorry, Skull, I really am. Do you remember the day Luce told you that I called her...? It's because I want to tell you that... your mother is in a mental asylum. Apparently, the stress of losing you was just too great and she had to go there. It's all my fault, Skull, I-"

In what seemed to be a flash of second, Skull punched his father on his jaw before huffing angrily. "I don't think I'll ever forgive you, Dad, but thanks for the info. I'll go and find her by myself." Skull looked back to his smaller lover. "You can do that, right Tsuna?" The chemist lit up. The brunet had always loved it if Skull relied on him, after all.

"Of course I can, Skull-san." Tsuna said proudly.

The two shared a knowing smile at each other before Skull offered his hand to Tsuna, who shyly took it. They left the still-bewildered member of the de Mort family and got inside the car Luce had lent them.

When they entered the car, Skull, as expected, broke down into a nervous mess. "Damn... _damn. _He was so friggin' _scary! _How did I do, Tsuna? Did I do it right? I messed up, didn't I? Fuckfuckfuck_fuck_-"

"Skull-san!" Tsuna smiled at him, bright as the sun, even brighter than Aria. The chemist cupped Skull's cheeks with his small hands and grinned. "You did great!" He said as he pecked the stuntman's lips, a furious blush on his face.

Skull was shell-shocked, but he smiled anyway before smirking. He leant down to his smaller lover, pinning him on the door with his hands next to his face, touching the glass. _"Grazie, il mio chimico." _Tsuna smiled at him before pushing himself forward, kissing him with a force that he never knew existed within the frail chemist.

Skull, of course, didn't want to lose. He smirked before finally inserting his tongue to the chemist's mouth, his hands groping the little boy's ass the entire time. Tsuna moved forward, circling his hands behind Skull's neck as he stepped on the car seat and move to the driver's seat, straddling Skull's lap before finally sitting on it. Neither of them stopped to breath as they indulged in one another's taste. Skull tasted calpico, marshmallows, and tints of caffeine as he dragged his tongue on the roof of Tsuna's mouth. He was also surprised by how comfortable his hands seems to be on Tsuna's bottoms.

The brunet seemed to be enjoying himself as well as he moaned into their kiss, begging for more. Skull obliged, feeling fireworks being lit all across his body. His hands finally moved up from the boy's bottoms and finally went under his shirt, pulling his waist closer. Tsuna's skin was always a few degrees cooler than himself, probably because the kid was so pale.

He fell so hard for this kid. Things sure have progressed much from the day Skull felt extremely awkward by sitting next to the chemist on the ferris wheel.

When they were finally out of breath, they broke away from each other, panting hard. Chocolate brown met with dark aubergine, both were glimmering with happiness and a spark of lust. "We..." Tsuna began, smiling as he spoke. "We should do this more often..." He said as he laid his head on top of Skull's shoulder, huffing slightly.

Skull let out a laughter. "Yeah, we should..." He cupped Tsuna's chin before kissing his lips again. "In fact, shall we do it here?" Skull felt like he could just jump to the pit of hell and still survive instead of being burned to his death. He loved this feeling. It usually came with the green glass of his helmet... but Tsuna made him feel this way without his helmet.

Tsuna chuckled. "What about in the condo?" He asked, leaning down to plant butterfly kisses on Skull's neck as he unbuttoned the stuntman's collar. This time, it was Skull's turn to chuckle. "What about in the backseat?" Both stuntman and chemist looked towards the empty backseat of their car before laughing with each other.

"Agreed." Tsuna replied with a bell-like laughter.

* * *

_**Next:**_

_**Balance.**_

* * *

**Next chapter will have Giotto and Nene... and Reborn. Guess what kind of secret Reborn would tell to the couple? And the escalating of Skull and Tsuna's relationship made Luce worry, so she asks a certain hitman to keep an eye on them on their date to the aquarium... but hey, there's no way that Reborn's going to go, right? He'll ask **_**other people **_**to do it for him. For those who'd read my review reply... you guys would probably already know about them.**

**Okay so this chapter is late. I have an excuse for those who cared enough. I broke up with my boyfriend and we'd been together for a year plus a few months (and he got another girl in two weeks). I took it rather... hardly. So I needed to distract myself from a fluffy romance because I usually based Skull-Tsuna fluff from my own experiences with him. **

**And I've been so in love with Kingdom Hearts and I can't resist putting bits of them here. To make it in a nutshell, Freya Lavernia is Skull's real mother and Ventus Lavernia is Skull's uncle. Ventus works in a mental asylum and he has two coworkers who are his best friends from childhood, Aqua and Terra, who are married with a son. Ventus is lonely and desperate. Freya is his only family left and she is unstable. He finds comfort with his boyfriend, Vanitas Ludus, who is Giotto's business partner. And Dante is definitely Skull, but Freya named him Dante, so everyone who knew her called him Dante.**

**Sorry for the excessive amount of OCs, but Skull needs a family too and I usually would make the Arcobaleno his family, but it doesn't work in this story.**

**Anywas, Review Replies:**

**Randomchick95 - Yesss, **_**finally **_**after all these chapters! It feels much more "FINALLY!" because us readers already know it in such plain sight.**

**Soul Vrazy - Indeed. This story is looong away from end.**

**GlimmerCreator - Hahahaha! I just love creating suspense, you see? It's **_**that **_**more fun XD**

**Silent Orange Summers - Yeah, imagine if you're just chilling in Starbucks... and then you see a hot blonde guy making a kid cry and a woman burst into the shop while screaming about her son being alive. The first reaction would be like... "what the hell did I just see...?"**

**RoxanneTheGreat - They **_**will **_**make an appearance, but not in this arc :(**

**Kyoya kumo - Thank you!**

**PhantomsWorkshop - Now you already know! I hope you enjoyed it!**

**BestWishes - Ahahaha I'm not an honor student, I use the power of google, after all XD **

**Okay, so that is all. I think this story would be M-rated somewhere in **_**Noble Liquid **_**arc, but for now, it'll stay T... please review!**


	21. Balance

_**Balance.**_

* * *

Giotto and Nene sat in front of each other, like how they're usually seated on their dinner dates, only with a puffy-eyed Nene and an exhausted Giotto. He had asked G to come and pick up Iemitsu's son (still crying and all) and let him back to his house. Right now, there was nothing more important to Giotto than comforting the overly headstrong Nene, who refused to sob all her stories out.

So now, here they were, in Giotto's dining table sitting across each other.

When the last of Nene's hiccups were gone, she took the water in front of her and exhaled deeply. Her honey-brown eyes met with blazing amber with a hard determination. "I'm sorry, Giotto." She said, her voice completely level. "I'm sorry for being an immature moron. I shouldn't have had embarrassed you back there. I apologize." Giotto was rather taken aback, but he smiled. As expected of his beautiful Nene. Always so lovely, hardheaded, and collectedly calm.

"Apology accepted, Nene." He smiled, making Nene shamefully avert her gaze. He loved her so much. "I love you too much to be embarrassed over your display of emotion." Nene's ears lit up, but she didn't say anything.

"So? What is it that you want to tell me, Nene?"

The Asian woman looked up to his eyes with a rare smile plastered on her face. Nene was not a person who'd smile easily. Typical people who spent much of their life inside a cooped up military base slash secret laboratory in Baskerville. But it made her smile all the more beautiful.

"Our son is alive, Giotto."

Giotto couldn't feel the liquids pouring over his eyes. He _knew _that. He even knew _who _it might be. But... but hearing it from Nene, the one who had gone through all these years without that little glimmer of hope that Tsunayoshi Sawada might be their son like Giotto had, made him tear all over again.

Nene walked over to him and hugged him closer. And for the first time since Giotto proposed to her sixteen years ago, she said yes.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

"So, can somebody explain to me why Aria found your boxer in the backseat of our car?"

No words could ever describe the amount of awkwardness Tsuna felt when Luce-san asked him the question. Skull-san almost choked on his food, luckily he had a glass of water next to him to help.

Tsuna's ears went red as Skull-san tried to splutter an explanation. They were having dinner with Luce's family because Luce-san had insisted that they do after they came to drop their car. Aria had dozed off a few minutes ago and Bermuda had gone to tuck her in to bed.

And that left only him, Skull-san, and Luce-san at the table.

"U-um, Luce, w-we were just... um..."

Skull-san was panicking, and he was panicking as well. But neither of them would say that they regretted it. No, they haven't had sex, but it was something so close to that. Both Tsuna and Skull had made a simple statement that they were both content with this, but both were still uncomfortable with the actual act, so they would stay like this just until they were ready.

After all, Skull-san only found out about his own sexuality two months ago and Tsuna only realized his love for the wimpy stuntman at the same time. They didn't want to rush anything.

But the feeling of Skull-san's flaming tongue and his gloved touches and short whimpers whenever Tsuna decided that he wanted to take charge was... _enthralling_.

"Now I know that you guys are responsible adults..." Tsuna fidgeted slightly. So... was this the rumored 'the talk'? He never had this kind of talk with his own mother before. He glanced to the stuntman beside him, who was trembling harder than he was. It was logical, after all. Skull-san, in a sense, _was _Luce-san's son.

Skull-san was like him. Unwanted, unloved, and a stranger to kindness. All in all, it was thanks to Luce-san that Tsuna could feel this much love from the wimpy man beside him. This person who was so unlike him. Irresponsible, and yet concerned over every single thing he was trusted with.

"I... I won't say anything about your relationship, both of you. But I _do _trust you to be responsible." Skull nodded frantically as Tsuna looked down, suddenly finding his thighs to be the most interesting thing in the world. "And please be discreet, okay? I don't really want my Aria to imitate what you guys are doing. Both of you are one of her role models, the closest ones. So..."

"We apologize, Luce-san..." Tsuna began as he fiddled with his thumbs. "We, um, we'll be more careful. But... I, um, we, ah I mean I-"

"_We_," Skull-san held his hand under the table. "We don't regret it, Luce. It was a step we're willing to take and I... l-love Tsuna s-so much." Tsuna looked at the wimpy stuntman who still didn't dare to look Luce-san on her face. He smiled. He didn't regret it. He won't ever regret it. Skull-san made him happy, and he never felt violated whenever the awkward stuntman tried to touch him. This must be love.

Suddenly, the wooden door creaked, signing that someone had entered the room. Bermuda von Vichtenstein glided in to his place next to his one true love. "Bermuda dear..." Luce-san breathed affectionately, earning what seemed to be a smile from the bandaged man. "As Luce stated, Skull, both of you are adults. And therefore we expect you to be responsible, is this clear?"

Tsuna nodded, followed by Skull-san's much more frantic ones. "In fact, we're going to deepen our relationship more and go to the aquarium together, right Tsuna?" The chemist looked up to the stuntman, clearly surprised. But with a very sincere smile that looked so utterly adorable with his stuntman, Tsuna nodded.

"Yeah, we will! Please don't worry, Luce-san, Bermuda, we'll be fine." He shared a smile with Skull-san before they bid a goodbye to the couple and returned home with Oodako.

When they entered the condo, they shared another smile, a much more naughty one.

"I love you, Skull-san." Tsuna breathed out as he leaned to kiss his stuntman.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

One of the very few things that Reborn seemed to enjoy the most was to give people trouble. And revealing major secrets of their lives could count as that, no? And that was precisely what he was doing.

He had rolled his eyes when he entered the boss of Vongola's living room and busted him and the Asian chemist making out on the carpet. "Get a room," he had said with an annoyed tone.

Blazing amber met with obsidian black with so much revolt that Reborn had wanted to laugh at its sheer emotion. He didn't normally see Giotto with a full blown emotion on his eyes, and he seemed to wear his heart on his sleeves whenever he was with the Asian chemist.

Oh, he should stop referring Giotto's girl with that, because his nephew was technically an Asian chemist as well. But whatever.

"It _was _a room before you come in, Reborn. What are you doing here?" Giotto seethed as he tried to cover the half-naked body of the Asian chem- _Giotto's girl_. Damn, he should start remembering her name already. Especially when their fates were going to intermingle more and more now.

"What? So you don't want to know who your son is, oh well." Reborn had to hand it all to his sister, Sepira Romano, to supply all of his needs as the know-it-all informant of the underworld. He might serve under the Vongola, but he was his own man. He didn't follow anybody's order sans for Giotto's grandfather, Timoteo Vongola, because that old man had helped him when he and Sepira when they were just brats.

Reborn could only remember vague details about his own childhood and adolescent years. It was the three of them, always. Sepira, him, and Nana. They were siblings in nothing except for blood because all those years ago, they were dumped in an orphanage in Japan.

Eventually, Nana got adopted while Sepira and Reborn grew up to be who they were now. Reborn still kept in contact with his older sister, who was one of the most prominent figure in the Millefiore although she'd been lying in the hospital for years now.

But back on the subject of his nephew (who wasn't really his nephew), he caught a glimmer of shock lacing on Giotto's amber gaze. But the half-naked woman got up and faced Reborn. "You know who my son is?" She asked, sounding absolutely hopeful. Reborn laughed.

"Yeah, I do. Now why don't you two get dressed while open one of your finest wines?" Whoa. He was feeling rather generous today, wasn't he? The plan was to talk to them while they're naked and irritated... but well, that's all right. Things are still under his control.

Reborn took out one of the oldest wines from Giotto's cupboard and sat down on the sofa where the couple had sat a few moments ago before they scampered away to get their clothing.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated to reveal a rather lengthy (rather? Who was he kidding? This was Luce! There was no such thing as 'rather lengthy' for her) text from Luce.

_Dear Reborn, _

_Have I told you the story about how my dear Aria stumbled upon Tsuna's boxers in the backseat of the car I lent to Skull? If I haven't well, you know now. Of course, Bermuda and I gave them strict warnings about being responsible, but I can't help but worry about them. They told me that tomorrow, they will go to the aquarium to 'deepen their relationship'. I am worried, Reborn, I am afraid that things might be going too fast between them. I wish I can be there to chaperone them, but I feel bad about it. What do you reckon I should do?_

_Love,_

_Luce_

Reborn smirked before his mouth formed a snicker. That lackey. He never thought that he'd be _that _forward. Of course, them falling in love was something that Reborn had overseen, but he didn't know that Skull would take _that _kind of step in their relationship this fast. Reborn thought that his nephew would have been at least 30 before Skull even had the guts to invite him to bed.

But nonetheless...

Reborn lowered his fedora as he smirked, clearly amused from the wary glance Giotto sent him. "Excuse me, but..." The Asian woman- _ah_, that's a good way to describe her- said as she plopped down next to Giotto, her expressions hardened as she straightened her glasses. "You were saying about my son...?" So she was straightforward... that made things a little easier.

"Your son is someone you already know, Nene Minagawa." Strangely, it was Giotto who paled. Reborn was also surprised when Sepira told him the truth. His nephew, Nana's son, was actually _not _his nephew. But why would Giotto pale?

"He dives in chemistry, as you are. And he also has interest in the motocross world, although for a very different reason than yours..." Nene still looked confused, but Giotto already set his gaze on his lap. Could it be that he knew already? That was no fun...

"Your son... is Tsunayoshi Sawada."

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

_"Aah! I've seen you in the Discovery Channel. The first female, not to mention Japanese, person who actually held a leading position within Millefiore R&D." Nene smiled. It was flattering to hear someone as famous as Tsunayoshi Sawada know about her, after all._

_Both scientists then proceed into a long conversation about their works, and Nene couldn't help but feel a weird familiar sensation with the boy in front of her. Like he was someone she knew from a long long time ago. But she couldn't place his mind on it… who was he really?_

_But when Nene was about to ask, the younger chemist had beat her to it._

_"Say, Nene-san-"_

The world was shaking.

It was true that she felt very familiar with that boy she met in the Mort Games. It was true that whenever Nene accessed his website, she would always feel that the little one had looked so impeccably Giotto-like, only with oriental touches and brown coloring- _her own genes_.

But then reality hit her like a lightning bolt. How... _How was she so blind? _How else could one explain the reason behind how their eye colors eerily match one another, or how the little chemist had the same shade of brown as his hair color. It was technically impossible unless...

Tears of prickled down on her face. As silent as the dewdrops falling to the ground. Tranquil, calm, serene. She was _happy_.

She then looked at Giotto, who already buried his face on his sleeves in a desperate attempt to not cry in front of her. That childish heroism was always such a welcomed grace for her future husband. Knowing that their son was alive had brought them extreme happiness and now, to know that their son had grown into such a splendid person had bring joy to the point of tears for both Nene and Giotto.

"Oh... _oh_..." Her voice was shaking as hard as her hands now. She couldn't form a coherent respond to tell them how much happiness she was feeling. Her... her _son _had shared the same interest as her. Her son had shared the same coloring as her. _Her _son had shared the same face as the only man she ever loved...

There was no doubt that Nene was the happiest woman on earth right now.

"Now, now," The fedora-wearing man said as he tapped his fingers on the table. "You guys might know about it, but Tsuna doesn't. I suggest you guys meet him soon." Come to think of it... Nene didn't even know where he lived. Sure she knew what he did and where he went to school, but she didn't know _anything _about him specifically.

As she was starting to feel insecure, Giotto held her hand with his own gloved one. "Nene..." He breathed. "I promise that we will know him better, help raise him to the best of our capabilities, and be good parents for him. We will tell him the truth, convince him, and then take our steps in having a family. There's no need to feel insecure about it, okay?" How Giotto seemed to know exactly what she needed to hear was a mystery. But she smiled gratefully at him.

"Oh that's touching. I'll tell you where he would be tomorrow because you guys are such a sweet couple." The fedora-wearer smirked as he idly played with his curly sideburn. "Which is?" Giotto asked. Why was he so apprehensive with this man...?

"He'll be going to the aquarium tomorrow... with his lover." Giotto and Nene's eyes widened simultaneously. He had a lover? Their son. Their sixteen year old son... had a lover?!

Giotto looked like he just swallowed a large codfish while Nene blanched. But the fedora-wearer only stood up as he took off his fedora and twirled it on his finger. "W-who is she?" Giotto asked nervously. Nene perked up from her seat, also curious of the man's answer.

"Who is _he_, you mean? Well, you guys should see them in the aquarium tomorrow."

As the man left, Giotto and Nene looked at one another frantically. Their son... their _baby_... had finally return to them after sixteen years...

And he had a lover? This called for an investigation! For their son's sake...

And for Giotto's sanity too, she guessed.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

_Things're taken care of. Don't worry your head off._

_-R_

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

The aquarium was huge.

Tsuna never liked biology as much he liked chemistry though, so the only reason why he actually felt excited to go was because he wanted to see how adorable Skull-san was when he-

"Oooi! Tsuna! Look at this mermaid! It's _huuuge_!"

The chemist smiled like he was a parent looking after his child. At these times, Tsuna thought that he was actually the adult in their relationship, even when he was five or six years younger than Skull-san. He really felt like Skull-san was a part of everything in his life. The stuntman was his lover, his younger brother, and at times, his puppy. He was one of very few organic life forms that Tsuna found absolutely intriguing in any kind of aspects.

"It is, isn't it?" Tsuna asked in a rhetorical fashion. Skull-san was dressed like a tourist today. He wore a black baggy shorts that reached his knees, a purple sandal, and a purple t-shirt with a flaming black skull imprinted on it. He also wore a black hat, which Tsuna thought that it oddly fitted with Skull-san's purple hair.

He himself was dressed like Skull-san; baggy khaki shorts, a white slim fit t-shirt with a picture of Beaker glass and explosion, and his lab coat. Tsuna also put a non-prescription glasses on because as Skull-san said, both of them weren't exactly free of paparazzi's prying eyes, after all.

"Tsuna, look! They had an otter track here, we can use this tunnel to see what's underwater!" Skull-san waved him into a very short and cramped tunnel. Not even Tsuna with his height could stand straight here. But then as they both got to their knees and cramped themselves in with enthusiastic children and parents, they hugged each other and shared a kiss.

Tsuna blushed, but then he pecked the stuntman on his nose before moving.

Suddenly, there was a sound of female shrieking from behind them. They were being watched. Tsuna could feel it...

"Um, Skull-san-"

"Look at that! The otters are swimming!"

Tsuna exhaled with a smile. Skull-san had never been to the aquarium before, and Takeshi and his father had once taken Tsuna when they were in the elementary school. Tsuna's eyes narrowed as he examined the tunnel. Nothing seems suspicious... it's packed with people as usual. But someone was clearly watching them...

"Tsuna! What are you doing?!" Skull-san shouted, already outside the tunnel. Tsuna threw a cold look to his back. Nobody, was going to mess his date with Skull-san, _nobody._

The chemist then went out of the otter tunnel with a smile on his face. "Coming, Skull-san!" His hands were already inside his pocket, fingering his little vials.

* * *

_**Next:**_

_**Ninth Stunt: A Bizarre Date.**_

* * *

**Yes, yeah, yep! The date is here, and yet not here! **

**And daaarn it's already 20 chapters and we still haven't reached the Tenth Stunt?! Daaamn...**

**And anyways, this is one of the most awaited chapters! I mean, it's the time Nene finally knows about her connection with Tsuna. And even I'm curious as to how Giotto and Nene would tell him about his true heritage. How about Iemitsu and Nana? That's for the next chapter concerning our chemist! But next chapter would be about how Vanitas and Freya surprised Ventus for his birthday. How, you ask? By taking the doctor to the aquarium, of course! Chaos ensues as Freya, Ventus, and Vanitas bumped into Nene and Giotto as they tried to spy our stuntman and chemist's date!**

**Review Replies:**

**Randomchick95**** - Hehehe, I do intend to keep it that way until the middle of Nuclear Flowers, but by the final arc, there would be smexy lemon, rest assured! And thank you for your concern, I'm doing the best I can now :D**

**Soul Vrazy**** - Naah, I'm not sick! (You know my facebook page, I wasn't sick at all!) But I did break up with my boyfriend so :(**

**FloppyWandedDementorBoggerer **** - Thank you! I hope you turn to love it even more!**

**GlimmerCreator**** - Ahahaha, here's the continuation! And I hope this isn't too suspenseful for you XD**

**SelfcreatedCharacter**** - Yeah, I kinda wanted it to be... contrast. I mean, Tsuna left the Sawadas, and hasn't had any serious confrontation since Nana came on his birthday. His real family is perfect with Giotto and Nene, when he reunites with them, Giotto and Nene will make sure that their son is well-raised. While in Skull's case, his dad has been trying to get in contact with him (in the Second Stunt, fourth chapter, it's been mentioned that his dad has been calling Luce), but Skull ignored them and then it leads into a massive wreck during Medea's death anniversary. Skull's real family is broken. Although Freya (and Ventus) loves him, her mom isn't exactly sane and Ven was already desperate. So there you have it, Tsuna and Skull's situation is so alike, yet so different.**

**Silent Orange Summers**** - Oh thank god you understand the sciences now. In this arc, the science and weaponry stuff won't matter so much, but in the Nuclear Flowers and Noble Liquid, it will. So be prepared! And yes! I really hate Demeter as well. But she is necessary. If you realize it, she is the main reason why Skull is such a nervous wreck, after all. And if Skull didn't buy Viper lunch all those years ago, he might have committed suicide the moment he couldn't take it anymore. That, or maybe letting himself get killed in a clumsy manner and nobody would have cared.**

**Okay, so that's a wrap! Please review :D **

**P.S: OMG GUYS PLEASE COME ON ONLY 4 MORE REVIEWS TO 200! KYAAAA!**


	22. Ninth Stunt: A Bizarre Date

_**Ninth Stunt: A Bizarre Date.**_

* * *

"Happy birthday, Ventus!"

Freya laughed as she kissed her brother, who still looked surprised. Yesterday, Vanitas had come to the asylum and asked for her to be released temporarily. Of course there was some things he needed to sign, like a paper that said that she would always be in Vanitas' line of sight, but since she was Ven's brother, it was rather easy for Aqua to sign the papers.

"T-thank you, Freya." Ven kissed her hair, still looking rather surprised. He looked to Vanitas' golden eyes in sheer surprise. "V-Van...? I, uh, I don't know what to say..." Vanitas smirked as he pulled Freya to his arms and gave her a pat on her head. "Saying thank you would suffice, Ventus." Freya giggled at the way Vani always seemed to drag the 'V' in Ven's name.

"Although a hardcore sex in the coffee table with a treat of role play won't hurt either." Frey laughed harder as Ven's ears lit up angry red. "Screw you, Vanitas." Ven mumbled as he pouted to Frey, who in turn giggled.

Vanitas pulled both of them into a hug before ruffling Ven's hair affectionately, making his hair messier than it already was. "Where do you want to go today, Ventus?" The doctor looked towards her, she tilted her head, as if asking what the question was. "Where do you want to go, Frey? I'm happy as long as you two are with me." Typical Ven.

Frey lit up as she directed her gaze to Vanitas, who cocked an eyebrow. "I want to go to the aquarium!" She chirped happily, earning wide grins from both men. "What's wrong, Ventus? Reminded of something bad?" Vani asked with a smirk. Ven rolled his eyes before pouting. "Shut up, Vani." Oops that was bad. Ven _never _called Vanitas _that _when he was in a good mood, after all.

"It's all right if you want to go to the aquarium, Frey. Get dressed, baby." Frey wandered off to the room Vanitas had shown her earlier. The world was more colorful now, wasn't it? She hadn't seen anything but pure white or pale colors for almost 20 years.

Why had Vani brought her out of her room to go outside, though? Ah! They must be going to find Dante! A smile spread on her face as she took out her black t-shirt with flaming purple skull and a harem pants that Vanitas had prepared for her. She smiled. She was ready.

When she opened the door, she rolled her eyes. "Vani... Ven... you guys are adorable." She said as Ven exploded on top of the coffee table, half-naked.

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

Skull couldn't help but feel strange at how vigilant Tsuna was behaving. His body language were rather weird, and he seemed to be cautious whenever their skin made contact. Maybe... he didn't like aquarium after all...?

Skull frowned as Tsuna looked away again, as if searching for something. This was really weird. Last night, Tsuna had kissed his forehead while telling him that he looked forward to this date before they drifted off to sleep. Was Skull... was Skull being _boring_?

"Hey, dame-Tsuna," Skull treaded cautiously as they sat down in front of the shark's aquarium. Tsuna distractedly murmured a 'hmm?' to him, signaling that he was indeed listening. But Skull was having none of it. He _disliked _being ignored more than _anything_. He cupped the professor's chin and forcibly turn his head, making his brown eyes met with Skull's own purple.

Tsuna instantly blushed at the sudden gesture, but he smiled anyway. "Yes, Skull-san?" He looked so adorable... and Skull couldn't help but plant a chaste and quick kiss on top of his lips, feeling the chemist's warm lips colliding with his chain with a soft 'clink' noise. But then he fixed a pout to the younger chemist.

"I don't get why you're so distracted today... do... do I bore you?" Tsuna's brown eyes tripled from its original size before he shook his head. "O-of course not! What makes youthinkthat?!" Skull couldn't help but crack a small smile when the chemist started to blubber. This was another habit of Tsuna's that Skull was sure nobody but him (and maybe, Reborn) had known. Tsuna tended to blubber and speak too quickly when he felt nervous.

Why would he feel nervous though? They spent lots of times together, _hell, _they _lived _together. They slept on the same bed, cuddle on the same sofa, and eat on the same table. How could someone like Tsuna, someone so in control and so level-headed, be nervous around _him_, the man he practically breathed the same air with?

"You... are nervous?" Skull tilted his head, trying to deduct the normally unreadable chemist. Tsuna's face lit up to a very lovely shade of red. But then he smiled the smile he used whenever he found Skull adorable, the one with a sigh accompanying the move of the muscle on his face. Tsuna pulled his neck into a hug, burying Skull's face on the chemist's t-shirt.

As usual, the smell of 70% alcohol and a plain-flavored calpico assaulted Skull's nose, but he found it familiar and comforting. The stuntman indulged himself in the swirling smell before sighing a very quiet _'je t'aime' _to the chemist's neck. Tsuna shuddered, but he smiled and mumbled a very quiet _'aishiteru' _back.

"I'm sorry, Skull-san, I'm sorry for being so distracted." Tsuna said, still not letting go of his hug. "I love you, you don't bore me, and yes, yes I'm nervous." For someone as in-control as Tsuna to be this open with his feelings... Skull felt a little proud. Not even Verde or Reborn could really figure out Tsuna, but he _could_.

"Ah, look at that, a shark aquarium!" Skull pecked Tsuna's forehead with his lips before going to the newly opened aquarium. Skull pressed his face to the glass, hoping to see the sharks better amidst the ominously green waters.

"Aaaaawesome!" He gasped.

"Oh my, customer! You are very lucky! Today is the grand-opening of the sharkuarium! Please come in and change your clothes, we'll let you feed the sharks!"

But Skull wasn't given any choice as the aquarium attendants took him away to a changing room, he was wailing, but he could hear a faint noise of Tsuna's rarely heard giggle.

That adorable sneaky little...

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

Tsuna giggled as he saw Skull-san being carried away by some aquarium staff to try out the newest attraction in the aquarium. It was a shame that he couldn't see Skull-san's adorable panicky look behind all the underwater suit (or could he?), but seeing the stuntman's look of panic earlier had made Tsuna smile.

But then when he was sure that Skull-san was out of his line of sight, Tsuna took out his fake glasses, his expression shifting from the happiness he felt into that of cold suspicion. Someone was tailing them. Of that much, he was sure. He didn't care much for it earlier, but if it made _his _adorable wimpy stuntman insecure... then it was a problem.

Tsuna closed his eyes, fingered his vials that were tucked safely within his pocket, and concentrate. He murmured the Sicilia Scuola Pubblica oath a few times before looking around in alarm again. If the ones who were targeting him were part of the mafia... then they should be sprinting away by now. Reciting the Oath of the Black Eagle meant that your loyalty belonged to the Vindice, and therefore untouchable. It was a pity that he only knew of these things after he was already strong enough to fend off his pursuers.

But when the feeling of being watched didn't disappear, Tsuna clicked his tongue. So it wasn't the mafia then. But who? These people were clumsy in tailing, it seemed. But _who's _the one be so clumsy in pursuing him? That alone was a question worth asking.

"I don't take kindly to anyone who made _my _Skull-san feel insecure..." Tsuna muttered. "So if someone's tailing me... you can just fuck off..." He muttered in... French. Being multilingual was an advantage at times like these, after all. And French was a language that had something to do with Skull-san's ancestry, it made him feel closer to the stuntman.

"Whoa, kid, that's some intense stuff you're muttering."

Suddenly, a man with raven-black hair and golden eyes replied in fluent French. His blazing golden eyes looked like it was smoldering with amusement and mockery as he gazed at him. Suddenly, a lady with jet black hair and purple eyes that were in the same shade as Skull-san's bent and smiled at him. "You shouldn't swear in the language of our forefathers~" She murmured dreamily before getting distracted by something else.

The man next to her, a blonde with lighter purple- _lavender _eyes smiled endearingly as the lady went away excitedly. "Frey, baby, don't get too far now!" How come he was treating that grown lady like she was just seven? Tsuna didn't understand.

"You're... a scientix, aren't you?" Tsuna's eyes immediately widened at the golden-eyed man's word. Scientix. A title given to the people who chose science over magic in the year 2767, all courtesy of the game Gokudera-kun had worshipped to the ground: Omnia.

"Y-you're... Vanitas Ludus?" Tsuna asked, sounding thoroughly dumbfounded as the greatest game-developer in the world snickered next to him. His eyes never left the lady Tsuna had seen earlier and the man accompanying her.

"Yeah, 'm Vanitas. You're Tsunayoshi Sawada, aren't you? Giotto Vongola's son?"

Tsuna's eyes widened, but when he was about to ask him to elaborate even more, a shrill scream from the purple-eyed lady made them both flinch and run towards her.

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

Ventus had no idea what to say.

He also had no idea what to do aside from hugging his sister and convincing that everything was okay. Freya was excited when she saw a cage being lowered into the sharkuarium, thinking that it must be the greatest stunt ever, but when she saw a blur of purple, she went hysteric.

Of course, several aquarium staff came and assure her that the volunteer wasn't in any danger, but Ven _knew _that it wasn't _danger to the volunteer _that sent Freya into her hysteria.

It was the fact that the volunteer had purple hair that did. No doubt that Freya thought that the volunteer was her baby.

"Dante!" She screamed desperately as she banged on the glass aquarium. "Dante! MY BABY! SOMEBODY SAVE HIM! PLEASE!"

"Ma'am, we assure you that it's completely safe-"

"NO! DANTE! DANTEEEE!"

To hear so much desperation in the normally airy and dreamy voice was an emotional weight to Ventus. He pulled his sister closer, whispering soothing words. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea. Maybe taking Freya out of her room was still a bit too much...

It wasn't until several other people crowded around them that it started to bother Ventus even more. Vanitas and the brown-haired boy came running to them. Worry and morbid curiosity plastered on their respective faces. Vanitas immediately helped Ven soothe the hysteric Freya. It was in times like this that Ven thought of all the years he had studied about psychology was useless.

But when Frey wasn't calming down, both him and Vanitas were getting desperate. With a frown, Ventus took a sedative he kept just in case from his pocket. He was upset that he had to resort to such measure with his beloved sister.

But when he was about to sedate his baby sister, a woman with brown hair in the exact same shade as the boy who was next to Vanitas came and pet his sister on the head. "It's all right, your baby is safe. See the cage? It wasn't used to trap him, it's used to protect him. And those safety gears and clothes... he'll be safe." She whispered the words gently.

A man with golden hair was now standing face to face with Vanitas, looking as surprised as the little boy from earlier. "Well, well, Giotto Vongola..." Vanitas smirked in an acknowledging manner.

The golden-haired man's light amber eyes flickered to the boy behind Vanitas before facing the brilliant hue of gold. "Vanitas Ludus," he nodded.

Silence came to them like an ice cube, but then the little boy looked towards the golden-haired man with wide and unblinking eyes.

"Helium-san," the boy said as he kept his brown eyes steady on the golden-haired man, who nervously fidgeted. "Y-yeah?" He asked, trying to keep the steadiness the boy had tried to hold.

"W-what does he mean by I'm your son...?"

But by then, Ventus didn't listen to them anymore because Vanitas had tugged on his hair. Frowning at his lover's violent tendency, Ven sighed. "What is it?" He asked, but Vanitas' eyes never left the sharkuarium as the volunteer's cage got closer to the glass and he waved at us with sheer fear in his gestures.

"That's... that's Dante, isn't it? Purple hair, purple eyes, he... didn't change at all since the night he was taken away." Vanitas asked, clearly disbelieving his own sight. But Freya went completely ecstatic.

"Dante!"

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

Skull had seen them through his goggles. Tsuna and several other people were standing closely on the glass that separated the sharks from the audience outside. There was even a desperate-looking lady banging her hands on the glass as if her life depended on it. Skull couldn't hear what she was saying, but it seemed to convey that she was worried about him.

It was rather... nice.

When Skull got to the locker room and change, he actually felt confused. It was so scary in there, but it was an unforgettable experience nonetheless. One of the sharks actually tried chomp him off, but got clanged by the cage instead. Heheheee~

When Skull was actually out of the staff area, he was tackled into a hug by a lady who... _looked like him_.

She smelled familiar... somehow. Although Skull had never seen her before, she felt familiar. She smelled like mint, something metallic, and... flames.

"Dante..." She sobbed out to his t-shirt. "Dante... my baby..." The lady looked up to his face, and Skull felt like he was seeing his eyes... like a mirror. The exact same shade... as him...

"M-Mom...?" Skull ventured nervously, his body trembling as he cautiously tested the word in his tongue. The lady cried even more as she hugged him even tighter. "_MY BABY!" _It sounded so shrill, so... broken, and yet it was _warm_, _comforting_, and... _possessive_.

It was so unlike what he was used to with his "Mom". She never called him _her _baby, she never called him _her _son, she never gave hugs that were this tight or this warm and comforting. And Skull could feel warm tears in his eyes, pooling involuntarily on his eyes. As he let it ran across his face, he could vaguely see his little chemist, being hugged by a woman who looked like him.

Tsuna's expression was that of extreme confusion, but not blatant disgust. Skull wanted to be there for him, to comfort him and answer his question. But when he saw the woman hugging him as if her life depended on it in his arms...

Skull decided to be selfish this time.

And for the record... this was such a bizarre date.

* * *

_**Next:**_

_**Combustive Matter.**_

* * *

**Next chapter... In the family restaurant with Vanitas, Ventus, Freya, Nene, Giotto, Tsuna and Skull. Things will be revealed as Freya clings to her baby, and as far as Giotto concerns, Nene was **_**not **_**the clingy type. But when a certain Japanese family decided to eat in the family restaurant... everything Giotto knew concerning Nene was about to change.**

**Okay! This chapter took so long to write *sighs* but I liked it anyway. I'm thinking to make a spin off for ACWSM (we don't have that yet XD) titled Omnia, it'll tell about how Gokudera managed to get Tsuna addicted to the game... but who knows.**

**Review Replies:**

**PhantomsWorkshop**** - Thank you! I hope this made your day albeit the lateness...**

**Narutopokefan**** - Heheheee I hope you'd like the Nene and Freya moment here, and the endings! Hehehe~ And I knooow I hate it too :/**

**Crispybaconlove**** - Thank you for saying that it's cute! And no, Nana and Iemitsu didn't take the baby by accident, and it wasn't the doctor's mistake either. All I can say now is Uni and Byakuran knew everything about the switcheroo.**

**Randomchick95**** - Maybe you'll get to see some Nana-bashing in the next chapter, maybe not :p AAAAND All your question's answers are in the next chapter XD HEAVEN FORBID TSUNA MOVING OUT OF SKULL'S CONDO!**

**Soul Vrazy**** - Ahahaha, I'm fine now XD And wait no more!**

**He-who-runs-into-walls**** - Not only Nene and Giotto... Ventus, Vanitas, and Freya are confronting Skull as well! Like you might have guessed, the Family Traps arc is close to the finale~**

**Jazebeth**** - Indeeeeed! Next chapter will be filled with moar of those XD Stay tuuuned!**

**Please review~**


	23. Combustive Matter

_**Combustive Matter.**_

* * *

_Tsuna had been 5 when it happened._

_His father was nowhere to be seen, probably off working. But it was okay since he had his mommy. The little toddler- __**five, not so little anymore! **__Tsuna thought with a proud humph- hugged the book that was bigger than him carefully as he descended the stairs. He knew that it was dangerous, but mommy would catch him before anything happened anyways._

_When he __**did**__ slip, Tsuna tried his best not to cry. But his mom didn't come to him, overwhelmed by the loud cry of his younger brother. _

_Tsuna pouted. And eventually burst into tears as well. It hurt! He fell down the stairs! How come his mommy didn't come for him?_

_But when his mommy did come- with Natsuhiko latched on her hips- she came to scold him. _

_"I've told you thousands of time to not go down the stairs with your book with you! Honestly, Tsu-chan." She sighed. "Hush, hush, it's okay Na-chan. I'll get your milk for you."_

_Tsuna won't have felt anything if his mommy had helped him up and not just walk away, saying soothing words to his brother. The older brunet kept quiet before taking the book and slowly ascended the stairs. He hated this._

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

_By the time he was able to name all the guns he read on the books, his mom never played with him anymore._

_Tsuna didn't care anymore though. He understood that mom and daddy were busy with Natsuhiko. And since Natsuhiko was whinier than he was, they had a hard time and needed to focus on him._

_How many years had passed ever since 'mommy' shifted to 'mom' he wondered? A long time ago, he guessed. He was seven now, so two years. He'd matured quite a bit from the whiny kid he once thought himself to be. Thinking back, he was so pathetic. Who cried just because their mother didn't help him up after he fell? That was reality, wasn't it? In the real world, there won't be anybody to help you up when you fell down._

_Tsuna casted a glance towards his mother and younger brother before ascending the stairs again, he no longer cared. He still felt a pang of sadness whenever he saw his mother spoiling the now 4 years old Natsuhiko. Tsuna wasn't _that _spoiled when he was 4. And he was proud of it._

_The brunet sat down on the balcony, where his mother usually hanged the laundry. An encyclopedia about weapons lied on top of his lap, it was fully illustrated and was in Japanese-Italian bilingual. And on the floor next to him was a pencil and a sketchbook, courtesy from Uncle Reborn who bought it as a souvenir from Jamaica._

_A soft sigh escaped his lips as he looked over the scenery his balcony could offer. The Sicily island was beautiful, but he didn't feel like doing scenery again today. His brown eyes fluttered to the weapons on the encyclopedia instead. Those guns looked sleek and beautiful. Not many people referred guns as 'beautiful', huh? But he really felt that way._

_Unconsciously, Tsuna's hands began to move on top of his sketchbook, replicating that beautiful sleek gun on the page. But... what if it was smaller? Surely it's inconvenient if the barrel was too long? It should be a little shorter so the bullet would be on full force. Tsuna grinned, he hadn't felt this excited since Uncle Reborn's fateful visit a few weeks ago. _

_Tsuna liked Uncle Reborn, probably because the man blatantly showed his favoritism towards Tsuna and not Natsuhiko like he was used to. The tall man was his mother's brother and was fond of telling him stories. The day his uncle had come home from his journey in Jamaica, he bought Tsuna a pencil, a sketchbook, and a miniature handgun the brunet still hid under his bed._

_But his most favorite part would be the stories. Tsuna didn't know if it was a lie or not, but it sounded even more realistic than his father's claim of working in the oil traffic. Uncle Reborn told him stories about how he outsmart a scary mafia boss, or how he managed to blast a man-eating bear to oblivion, or how he went skinny-dipping in Atlantic, or how he seduced a renowned Geisha to get an information about Japanese underground Emperor. It was exciting._

_When he was finished with the gun he'd sketched, Tsuna put on a smile on his face. He put down the encyclopedia as he heard his father's voice downstairs. He wanted to show his newest masterpiece!_

_"Dad!" Tsuna ran to his father, who hugged him with a smile. But when Tsuna was about to show him the picture, the blond man's attention was already somewhere else. "Oooh Natsu! You're already walking around?! That's Papa's little boy for you!" Tsuna frowned and gritted his teeth, but before he could run away and sulk the entire day in his room, he felt like he was pulled from behind with a pair of strong arms putting themselves on top of his eyes. "What's that you got, brat?"_

_Tsuna smiled, but whined anyway. "Uncle Reborn!" He said, even sounding more enthusiastic than welcoming his own father home. Uncle Reborn took the sketchbook away from his hands before smirking, looking somehow pleased with himself. "This... this is interesting, dame-Tsuna. Good job." The self-proclaimed hitman ruffled the brunet's brown hair._

_Unbeknownst to Reborn, Tsuna felt incredibly... proud. He never got __**this **__from his parents. What was __**this **__though? He felt so... __**elated**__._

_A sheepish smile made its way to the brunet's face before he scratched the back of his head, a sign that he was nervous. "T-thanks...?" _

_Reborn then looked at the boy in front of him. Why was he confused over the show of a little acceptance like this? Surely Nana and Iemitsu showered him with this kind of affection?_

_Reborn's obsidian gaze travelled to his sister's place, where she was happily smiling at her youngest son, Iemitsu following her suit. And then his eyes travelled to Tsuna, who looked at __**his own **__family with a stoic emptiness. _

_Something was wrong. Definitely. But Reborn put his hand on top of Tsuna's shoulder and pulled him closer until his little brown head collided with his chest, pulling him into somewhat of a hug. The gesture was clear for both of them._

_**I'm here for you, brat.**_

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

Under any other circumstances, Tsuna would have felt like poisoning someone to death when they clung _that _hard to his Skull-san. But seeing the purple-haired lady clinging on Skull-san's arms as if she was going to die if she let go, made Tsuna happy, somehow. Because knowing that his Skull-san felt so happy that he actually had a family who wanted him (not counting Medea-san, rest her soul) made Tsuna happy as well.

But the brown-haired chemist was fidgety nonetheless. He glanced at the people next to him, Helium-san and Nene Minagawa. Why were they here? Why did Nene-san hugged him earlier? What did Ludus-san mean when he said that Tsuna was Giotto Vongola's- Helium-san's- son?

Sensing the awkwardness that dawned upon the table, the blond-haired companion of Ludus-san smiled gently. "I guess introductions are in order," he sounded so relaxed, like he'd dealt with this kind of situation all the time. "My name is Ventus Lavernia, and this is my lover, Vanitas Ludus." Vanitas smirked before putting his hand on top of Lavernia-san's lap, making the blond roll his eyes. "And this is my sister, Freya Lavernia." Tsuna waited for the blond to tell the whole story of his life, but he didn't. His eyes peered curiously to the younger couple in front of him.

"My name is Giotto Vongola." Helium-san began, smiling amiably to every occupant of the table. "And this is my fiancée, Nene Minagawa." Tsuna too, waited for him to tell his story. But after that, the table fell to another bout of silence.

"Um, not to be rude or suspicious or anything..." Skull-san spoke for the first time ever since they got out of the aquarium. "I've heard the story from my... dad," _and then punched him on the face straight after that. Haha. _"But... can you tell me the story, you know, from your side?" He asked to Lavernia-san, probably because Ludus-san intimidated him.

"I suppose I-"

"I'll tell you the story Dante!" The purple-haired lady exclaimed. "Um, Frey-"

"Ven, I'm not crazy. You may be convinced that I am, but I'm not. Now that Dante is here..."

And so she began the whole story. Freya Lavernia was a singer from the legendary visual kei band Gothika. She was 17 when one of her fans made her intoxicated enough to have a one night stand sex. Skull-san was born from that affair, his birth name was Dante Lavernia, but on his first birthday, he was kidnapped by his current family and that had brought this lovely lady in front of him to a bout of insanity.

If Tsuna wasn't such a indifferent person, he would have cried.

But Skull-san did. Someone as full of life and seemed to glow so radiant with emotions like him was guaranteed to cry. It was one of the thing he loved the most about this man. His emotions complement with his sheer indifference. Tsuna was willing to take off the mask he'd mould so perfectly in front of Skull-san and the Arcobaleno, but to others? He still wasn't sure...

"But... it's a good thing that you managed to find him again, right?" Nene-san spoke softly. Tsuna's eyes immediately went to her. He wanted to say the same thing, with the exact same tone. What a weird coincidence.

"Yes, it is." Lavernia-san smiled a genuine smile. For someone unwanted like Tsuna and Skull, they'd kill to have someone smile like that _at _them _for _them. Tsuna felt a little jealous, but the more reasonable part of his brain asked him to reconsider. Skull-san had smiled like that for him, he had nothing to fear. The stuntman won't ever betray him just because he had a family now.

"Moving on, though..." Ludus-san said as his golden gaze went curiously from Tsuna, to Nene, and finally to Giotto, but he didn't say anything at all, waiting for the golden-haired man to say something. Tsuna, along with everyone else too, waited.

Skull-san coughed out loud, then excused himself to get some coffee in Starbucks just across the restaurant they were in. Skull-san's mother followed him, along with Lavernia-san and Ludus-san, and then it was just the three of them.

Tsuna moved to the chair Skull-san had sat on previously, his brown eyes never leaving the pair in front of him.

It was time to get some answers.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

To say that Giotto was nervous would be a huge understatement of the year.

He was a ball of nerve wreck now. His palms were sweaty underneath his gloves and he was wondering if he could take off his socks to dry them off his sweat. Nene looked calm, but her left foot was bouncing frantically, a sign that she was also nervous.

Tsunayoshi Sawada- _his son_- looked at him with a piercing gaze that was identical to Nene's own. It was a gaze that scared him off his guts, like Nene knew that he'd pulled another prank on an unfortunate soul and either she or G would have to clean his mess. Tsuna was looking at him silently, as if searching for an answer that was blatantly there.

Giotto's hair, Giotto's face, and the shape of Giotto's eyes along with Nene's oriental brown coloring. It was all present on the boy's features. Giotto hoped that he understood, because no words can describe what he wanted to tell the boy in front of him.

A simple 'yeah, Tsunayoshi, you're my son' didn't seem to cut it. After all the hope and the desperation he and Nene felt for the last sixteen years, he didn't feel like any word could describe his feelings. He wanted to tell him of how sorry he was, how relieved he was, and how he would try his best to raise him as his proper father now. He knew about how the Sawadas had mistreated him and he wouldn't even dream of committing the same mistakes. No. Nope. Never.

"Sawada-kun..." Nene treaded cautiously. Her voice level, expression neutral. She stood up and offered her hand to the boy. Tsuna took it with the same caution. But then Nene pulled him into an endearing hug. "I... I don't know how to say it... but..." her voice was shaking. "But I'm so glad that I got to hold you like this..." a choked sob. "... _my baby._" She breathed out gently.

Giotto shivered in bliss as Nene said those words out loud. He'd never heard Nene's voice to be _that _happy. And seeing a bizarre confused look on his son's face, Giotto too, felt like he wanted to throw his two cents. "We can have a DNA test if you want." He offered. "But we already got the info from a very trustworthy source. He is your Uncle... and he knew it from his sister, a top member of the Millefiore hospital."

"U-Uncle Reborn...?" Tsuna asked, clearly dumbfounded. His Uncle never lied to him, and there wasn't any need for him to lie now. What would Uncle Reborn gain from lying about his heritage? _Nothing_. So... this must be the truth...

"M-Mom...? D-Dad...?" He tested out the words quietly. Giotto stood up, putting a hand over his shoulder. "I'm so glad that you're here, son." Tsuna's mind went completely haywire. So all this time his parents weren't his parents? And these people were his parents? Who was he then? Was he like Skull-san? Was he kidnapped from his real family? But the last time they met, Nene-san didn't seem to know that he was her son, although she felt so familiar. Why was that? Why? Why?

"Ah, Onii!"

Tsuna gasped as he saw a brunet who looked like him. No, this can't be happening. Not _him. _Not _now_. Not when he was so close to find another place to belong...!

"Na-chan don't go ahead of us like that! Ah-"

"Mom..." Tsuna calmly let go of his supposedly real mom and stare straight at the woman who'd raised him in a world of blissful ignorance. "What's going on here, Nana, why haven't you sit-"

"Dad." Tsuna deadpanned. Both Giotto and Nene noticed the cold atmosphere around the Sawada family, but what actually scared them was the look of utter nothingness plastered on top of _their son's _face. It wasn't a face that knew love. It wasn't. Nene had seen it so many times on her boss' face...

"Wha-what's going on?" She asked Giotto, who looked really shocked to see the Sawadas here.

"Tsuna... is a neglected child. He ran away from home several months ago, and I think this is the first time they meet again after a while..." Giotto looked and sounded so uncertain. But by the way Tsuna twitched at his words, Nene somehow knew that it was true.

Thousands of probabilities assaulted her mind. All this time... All this time she was trying to find her beloved son... someone had mistreated him? He was raised without love and care he so totally deserve? Nene had loved him so much when he was just a fetus in her womb, why would anyone...? _How _could anyone mistreat _her _baby...?

"Long time no see, Iemitsu-san. I trust my weapons are of use to you?"

A completely level voice. He didn't sound like he was talking to his father at all. That was fine though. Iemitsu was _not _his father.

"Look here, Tsuna, Daddy's just-"

"How _dare _you call yourself my father...?" Tsuna hissed almost inaudibly, but Nene caught it just fine. She clenched her fists, trying to just hold her tongue. "Tsu-chan, we're over this..." Nana Sawada sighed, as if Tsuna was just being a difficult child. "This attitude has gone too far. We already apologize for not understanding that you want to be spoiled, come on, sweetie, just come home already..." Nana sounded like she was tired with dealing with Tsuna's _tantrum_. The brunet tensed, but didn't say anything.

Before anyone could say anything else, Nene was already right in front of Nana's place, slapping her cheek with all that she got.

* * *

_**~A Certain Wimpy Stuntman's Maelstrom~**_

* * *

"What... the hell happened here...?" Skull questioned as Nene clung to Tsuna like no tomorrow. Tsuna just smiled tiredly at the stuntman before looking around the messy restaurant.

It looked like a huge brawl just happened. And judging from Nene's messy hair and Giotto's crumpled dress-shirt, maybe it really did. Tsuna looked strangely happy though, so Skull really didn't care. But when he sat down in front of the disheveled trio, he smiled and asked them a question.

"Did... did something happen?" He was answered with a smiling Tsuna, who nodded happily. "It seemed that I found a family that wanted me too, Skull-san!" Skull grinned happily, but then he was cut short by Giotto's seemingly innocent question.

"So, what's your relationship with each other?"

Skull paled as Tsuna laughed. He got away from Nene's hug before sitting down next to the stuntman and held his hand.

"We're lovers, Dad," Tsuna smiled as Giotto and Nene blanched. "And we've been living together for a few months now."

There was a long silence before...

"WHAT?!"

Tsuna laughed happily for the first time in his life.

* * *

_**Next:**_

_**Tenth Stunt: Settling Down.**_

* * *

**This chapter... is hard to write. It's all thanks to Pokemon Trainer Red's theme that I managed to pull through it *grins***

**About Nana: There will be times when parents are too tired of their child's tantrum. It's not that Nana is being unreasonable, but she was constantly around Natsu whose temper tantrum is headache-inducing, she is dealing with Tsuna's problem the same way she would deal with Natsu's, that's her number one mistake, not just because she just hates Tsuna.**

**So next chapter is the final chapter of the Family Traps arc. Natsu decides to come to Skull's condo for a chat, Freya is finally out of the asylum, and Tsuna is helping his real parents' wedding preparation. All in all it's down to the last settlement: will Tsuna move out from Skull's condo to live with his parents or will he stay?**

**Next arc's** **summary (in case you don't want to see the previous chapters for it):**

_**Nuclear Flowers arc:  
**__The Millefiore is done waiting. Using almost everything in their disposal to get the weapon-designer to their side was definitely the first plan they think of. And ah, using the chemist's most favorite substance to take something so precious to him was also in the plan__._

**Next arc's commentary: **

**It's full of action. Not much drama in the next because all the mushy stuff are out in this arc (except for a few Sawada scuffles), we'll see more of the Sicilia Scuola Pubblica lab members, student council, and the others. Rillianne Rosselli is finally coming with the news concerning CEDEF members and shit is about to **_**go down**_**.**

**Okay, that's enough! Be excited for it though!**

**Review Replies-**

**Jazebeth - BINGO! It's definitely Nana and Iemitsu, although the actual 'what happened' will be explained in the next chapter.**

**MisanthropicGoddess**** - Yeah, at first, Tsuna didn't trust Nene and Giotto at all, but when they told them about Reborn, he started to believe a little. And when Nene outright slapped Nana on public (along with a huge brawl done for his sake), he decided to give them a chance :D**

**jaz96min**** - Thank you :D**

**Narutopokefan**** - Thank you! And this chapter is the epitome of all dramas! They're so cliche though XD I love cliche dramas XD**

**Crispybaconlove**** - You're welcome and thank you!**

**Randomchick95**** - You're actually the reason why I included the last part of this chapter. It's just too funny XD**

**Soul Vrazy - Thank you! :D**

**PhantomsWorkshop**** - You have no idea how flattered I am to read this review... thank you so much...!**

**Bloom1234t - Have no fear the next update it here! XD**

**Tenshi****-Oujosama - LOL! What would your reaction be if you actually have a date like the one Tsuna and Skull had? XD**

**Silent Orange Summers**** - Great question! It's not because you haven't read well enough, I only just mention them recently. I'll break it down for you.**

**You got Freya, Ventus, and Vanitas right. Freya (also nicknamed Frey) is Skull's mother. Ventus (Ven) is her brother, Skull's uncle. And Vanitas (Van/Vani) is Ventus' lover. And as for Reborn's family:**

**Sepira, Reborn, and Nana are blood siblings. They are all orphans that were put in an orphanage. Sepira is the oldest and Nana is the youngest. Sometimes during their childhood, Nana got adopted while Sepira and Reborn didn't. **

**I hope it clarifies things a bit :D It's really hard to remember so many family members.**

**YaoiFanaticFreak**** - I'm sooo flattered! Or I shouldn't be? But I hope you hyperventilated because this is awesome XDDD**

**Okay, that is all XD Please leave some reviews :D**


	24. Tenth Stunt: Settling Down

_**Tenth Stunt: Settling Down.**_

* * *

_My name is Tsunayoshi Sawada._

_Or is it Tsunayoshi Vongola now? I don't know, or care at the moment. People still call me Tsuna. I still invent several nuclear warheads for my Dad's sister corporation. I live with my lover in Sicily, Italy. I still love Chemistry, although I'm actually really intrigued by a certain organic life form._

_I like Skull-san, the organic life form I mentioned earlier, and I dislike anyone who tries to take him away from me. And my Uncle too. He's still brilliant though, but I'm not attracted to him anymore. _

_Anyways, just browse away. You won't find anything anyways._

Skull wanted to laugh as he read the new 'about me' section Tsuna had on his website. He felt proud though, a little, yeah, just a-

Okay you got him. He was _really _proud of it.

Him being mentioned in Tsunayoshi Sawada's blog had made a huge headache for Bianca, who had to deal with countless paparazzi trying to take a glimpse at the couple. But it was worth it. And Skull wasn't going to forbid Tsuna from doing anything the he liked. Skull felt pride swelling within his chest, which was a very welcomed sensation.

Two weeks had passed ever since his date with Tsuna in the aquarium and he was welcoming the cold air of winter. Skull never had any problems with weather, so he sat with his summer outfit (a purple polo shirt and khaki shorts) in considerably cold living room. He had opened the window so he could indulge in a much faster Wifi access, a feat he'd never done before Tsuna came to his apartment.

Speaking about Tsuna, Skull felt a little lonely when he looked around the empty apartment. Tsuna was probably at the church, helping the preparations of Giotto and Nene's wedding. Not that Skull wasn't invited, but he just finished a motocross challenge yesterday and Tsuna demanded him to rest. And honestly, the stuntman couldn't refuse.

How could he refuse when a half-naked Tsuna, wearing _his _purple pajama, rubbed his eyes cutely while tilting his adorable brown head to the side, _begging _Skull to just stay at home today and rest?

Skull smiled as he looked at the full dining table. He couldn't see any empty space on top of it, Tsuna must be working late, judging from all that chemistry set and the cans of calpico he consumed...

The stuntman then shook his head to snap away from his musings. His gaze went back to the Macbook Air that rested casually on top of his lap, showing him lots of YouTube videos of the Gothikas. His mother was back on stage apparently.

Skull's smile turned into a full blown grin when he opened the song titled 'Rising Reaper', the latest Gothika single released after almost twenty one years of hiatus. The fans were ecstatic, it seemed. In Italia, there weren't many gothic-styled band and the Gothika captured the audience so easily. And there was also another factor...

His mom apparently whispered his name before the track as a tribute. And some hardcore fans managed to speculate that Freya Lavernia and Skull de Mort were _related_. Not as in blood related, it's just... _related_. Skull shuddered. There must be people that think that Freya was his lover or something, but... the interview he'll have with one of the biggest gossip tabloid in Sicilia will change that.

He would spill everything. Well, not _everything_, but just the general truth. He'd discussed it with Uncle Van and Uncle Ven (dear reapers, it was weird to call _someone _with the title _uncle_ after living an isolated life without any relative), who said that it was all up to him. And according to his mom, he was a fine adult and he can always make his own decision.

Skull never knew that having a family would make you feel so _confident_. This was the first time Skull had someone to go whenever he wanted to talk about silly little things that shouldn't made him worry, but did anyway. Skull hated being a nuisance to Luce, so he never bothered her with things like his foolish doubt and uncertainty. There wasn't a need to feel anxious, but he did, and then he talked with his _family_ and everything was better again.

It felt the same, just like how Medea was still around.

The stuntman sighed as he drunk his calpico calmly. Things was so peaceful now, it was hard to believe that he was almost poisoned to his death a few months ago.

_**Ding-Dong**_

Skull's eyes snapped open as the sound of bell invaded his ears. He looked towards the corner of his screen. 10:52 AM on a Sunday, not a normal time for Bianca to come and visit. Tsuna was still in the church, the kid won't be back until at least 4 PM. All the Arcobaleno had keys to his apartment. So who...?

Skull reluctantly got out of the sofa to check at the door. Maybe he should get a receiver like Verde so he won't have to get to his door for every guest who rung his bells.

_**Ding-Dong Ding-Dong Ding-Dong**_

"Oh my Reapers, shut up already! I'm coming!" Skull walked to the door, feeling rather irritated. Impatient bastard. He was the one who need him, he should be patient!

Skull opened the door only to find a brunet with amber eyes looking at him with a curious stare. "Hey...?" _Fuck, what is he doing here?! _

Skull began to tremble. He gulped down nervously. Purple eyes flitted around nervously, trying to look _everywhere _but the boy who looked so much like his lover.

Honestly, _they weren't even** related**. _It should be a crime for them to look _that _identical.

Anyways, Natsuhiko Sawada was a tall kid for a 13 year old and he was clearly dressed for the winter. But he came here with a _skateboard_. The last time he checked, the Sawadas were like 10 blocks away from here...

He wasn't sure if this kid was a moron or a sport enthusiast, but he was leaning more to the first.

Back to the way he looked though. He, like Tsuna, was a brunet. And with a physique that was so uncannily like Tsuna. _They were __**identical**__! _It was really, really weird.

But when he looked deeper, Natsuhiko looked so different from Tsuna. He's got the shape of Nana's eyes with Iemitsu's coloring. Maybe if the kid dyed his hair with the dirty blond color like Iemitsu, he'd look the same with him. That was a good thing, yeah, because that really insinuated the fact that Tsuna was _not _a Sawada. If the adorable chemist even think of dyeing his hair blond, he'll be a copy of Giotto Vongola.

And their presence. He shouldn't start on that...

They were _different_. Tsuna had this serene calmness and grace, along with a stoic-look he had whenever they weren't alone. Kind of like a mix of Reborn and Verde (did that mean he was dating a mix of _Verde __**and **__Reborn?! _This thought was _so _not going out of his head). Natsuhiko kind of remind him of Colonnello. He had the air of an easygoing guy who would help your team out on sports day and only ask for a scotch in return... okay lose the scotch, but it was true.

"Ummm, can I come in?" He asked in sloppy Italian. Skull awkwardly scratch the back of his head with his fingers. "Ugh, not that I want to be rude or anything... but I'm currently in love with a person who doesn't like you so much so, ugh, _reapers _this is awkward!"

Natsuhiko was shocked, but then he regained his composure not a second later. According to Tsuna, this kid didn't have the capability to even do that. "I'm sorry," he sounded really apologetic. His amber eyes met with Skull's dark aubergine with a certain flame and determination that was so uncannily resemble Tsuna after he made something explode. "But, I don't really intend on leaving before I can talk."

"Yeah but Tsuna's away to help with his parent's wedding, so-"

"I don't want to talk to Onii, I'm here to talk to _you_."

Now _that _was something he didn't expect.

"O-oh," he gulped down nervously. "Sure, then, um, c-come in, I guess?" Why... did he phrase that like a freaking _question_? He should be the adult. This was his _home_, his territory! He was the dominion of this place and he was so _awkward_!

But then he let the kid in anyways. He took off his winter coat and put it on the coat hanger, next to his helmet and Tsuna's spare of a spare lab coat. He had a black jeans with red hoodie, a typical teenager's way of dressing on winters. But it was weird to see someone who was _practically _Tsuna, wear something so normal. Or didn't have any chemistry-related item embedded on his body.

He sat down on the love seat just across the sofa Skull lounged on earlier. Skull stumbled to the fridge, got a couple of- _damn, he'd need to restock his calpicos!_ - groovy root beers (_Tibetan root beers_, so said a very drunk Colonnello after he landed from his 14 hours flight), and then put the can in front of the brunet who looked around curiously.

"Umm, we don't really serve tea or coffee here. Tsuna and I like our soda..." Um, he really didn't have any reason to say that out loud, did he? But he did anyways. He opened his can and took precisely three gulps. A sign that he was nervous.

"Really?" Natsuhiko said as he eyed the root beer with a defeated look. "I... I never know that Onii likes soda. But I guess I should have known about it because Uncle Reborn sends him boxes of colas on his birthday every year, huh?" Ugh, what was he supposed to say about that?! He needed his helmet...

He needed his helmet! Why didn't he _think _of that?!

Skull ran off to his room and took a purple-colored lab glasses, the glass was green-tinted, just like his helmet. He put it on and sat down on the sofa, feeling much less awkward and much more confident.

"Umm?" Natsuhiko mumured, gesturing to his glasses. "Oh, never mind about it. I just have a severe anxiety issue and I feel better if I use my glasses." The brunet laughed like he was just telling a joke... which he didn't.

Didn't he know how much of train wreck Tsuna would be if he didn't have his lab coat?

"O... kaaay." He said, still giggling to himself. "Well, I... come here to talk to you, as I've said earlier."Skull took another nervous gulp. But then he maintained his composure and leaned to the sofa. "What is it that you want to talk to me about, Natsuhiko Sawada?"

The brunet looked to him with a pair of sad amber, but there was also a look of resignation when he frowned. "Onii... hates me, doesn't he?" He sounded so _broken_. Skull didn't get it, wasn't he supposed to be the oblivious kid who thought of nothing but himself? Why did he look so broken after what happened?

"He... he totally looked like he was going to kill me back then..."

"What happened back then?" Judging by the state the Vongolas were in, it must've been a great scuffle. Tsuna never elaborated about it. The time he actually asked about it led to them having a cuddling session in front of the Star Wars trilogy with the treat of Tsuna kissing him... _with tongues_. He couldn't say anything after that.

"Well, it was a rather a short story..."

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

_"How dare you?!" Nana shoved Natsu away from her, protecting him from the lady who just slapped his mother. "Tsu-chan is my son and I need to teach him about how throwing a tantrum won't always get him what he wanted! That is a very important lesson to be taught to your-!"_

_"Now you listen here, __**lady**__." The lady was literally chest to chest with his mommy, glaring down at her with an expression that was so like Onii's. "Tsunayoshi is a good child. I don't care if you want to say that you know him longer than I do. __**I **__gave birth to him and I __**know **__that my son is a good person." _

_"What do you mean you gave birth to him?! I literally had my stomach cut open so he could come out to this world!" Nana defended furiously as she stared down at Nene. They were both on the same height so it was rather balanced. "Oh no, __**I **__pushed him out of me! What right do you have to say-"_

_**SLAP!**_

_"I am __**not **__going to stand here to listen to some little __**girl **__preaching to me about how I raise my child!" _

_"Why you-!"_

_"Nene, calm down..." The blond man who looked like Onii then hugged the lady with the lab coat that was similar to Onii's. "Nana-san, I believe that you were supposed to have a daughter, right?" Mommy's face turned even redder. "H-how do you-"_

_"How do you know that?! We never told __**anyone!**__" Daddy stepped in, blocking his views of the strangers and hugging Mommy's waist. The blond man chuckled. "Because I saw you! Right after Nene gave birth, I went to the hospital, looking forward to meet my son. But then I found her crying in her room. After that I left, and then I found Tsunayoshi wrapped up in a blue blanket and given over to your room! And then you said it yourself that you were supposed to have a daughter!"_

_"They gave a dead baby girl to me... they said that it was my daughter. But I wasn't supposed to have a daughter. I think it was obvious." _

_"E-even if it's true, we still raise him for the last fifteen years!" Daddy sounded really desperate, and Natsu could see him trembling. But then, he could hear a shrill voice that he'd never heard from Onii before._

_"Raise me?!" He sounded so hurt and accusing. "You call forgetting my birthday, never telling me that you love me, buying presents for Natsu in front of me, and never speaking to me in general... __**raising me?! **__Admit it! The only child you've ever raised in your life is Natsu!" Natsu then actually stepped next to his Daddy, trying to see Onii's face._

_Onii was just like how he remembered him. He was still cute and scrawny and smoking hot in that tourist-ish clothes even in winter. But... what stunned him was the fact that Onii's eyes were leaking as he shouted out in frustration. Natsu shuddered, but turned away. He didn't like seeing Onii like this!_

_"O-Onii..." he stammered meekly, just like how he spelled out each and every word in front of Onii. "I... I love you, Onii. I always do. __**Always**__. I..."_

_Onii walked from his place, each and every step he took sounded like a gorilla stomping through the forest to Natsu. He felt like something hot was being poured all over his chest. _

_Now, he was eyes to eyes with his brother. Sad and angered chocolate brown met with his own amber ones. "If you love me then, Natsu, tell me..." Onii took a deep breath. __**"What do you know about me?" **__Natsu wracked his brain for an answer. He knew that Onii was hot, cute, awesome, amazing, smart, kind! He was also a fast-learner and he was always... expressionless._

_No, he __**wasn't **__always expressionless._

_He would pout whenever Mommy asked him to hand over the remote to him instead of having it to his own. He would look annoyed whenever he woke up in the morning with him hugging Onii like a bolster. And he would always look so cold after his birthday... that Onii also shared._

_Oh... __**gods**__. What did he do?! What did Onii feel when he smiled smugly whenever he got mommy to get him to remote? What did Onii feel when he woke up feeling sore and tired because he'd used him as a pillow, but got scolded when he complained about it? How did Onii __**feel **__when everyone was happily celebrating his birthday with him... when Onii was __**alone?**_

_"B-but I love you..." Natsu spoke, barely above a whisper as he began to sob. "But I love you! So you should appreciate the fact that I still love you so much even when you're that hostile towards-!" _

_**SLAP!**_

_Natsu could feel a stinging pain of his chest spreading throughout his body. W-why? Did Onii...? "YOU SELFISH LITTLE BRAT!" Onii shouted in Italian instead of Japanese they'd been using for the entire conversation. "DO YOU EVER CONSIDER WHAT I FEEL WHEN I SEE THEM SPOILING YOU AND FORGETTING ME?! DO YOU EVEN CONSIDER WHAT I FEEL WHEN THERE'RE PEOPLE WHO WANTED ME AND ACTUALLY LISTENS TO ME?! I AM HAPPY, ABSOLUTELY ECSTATIC! __**THEY **__LOVE ME. AND __**YOU **__STILL HAVE THE GUTS TO SAY THAT YOU LOVE ME?!"_

_Onii then grabbed his collar. His tears fell down from his face and eventually to Natsu's shirt. "Now, I ask you one more time, Natsu..." he seethed maliciously. __**"What do you know about me?" **__Natsu felt that he couldn't say a word._

_"This is ridiculous! You- you can't just take someone else's son and declare that they're yours!" Nana said as she pulled Nene's long hair. They were long past the verbal arguments now, nobody was in the restaurant anymore sans for the employees who looked at them like they were a television show._

_"Oh, we can, Sawada-san. Because you've been neglecting to take care of him for the last year, his guardianship was transferred to Reborn the moment he was fifteen. You didn't even know that, did you?" Giotto said calmly as he faced Iemitsu. The older blond growled. "If you weren't Daniela's son, I would-!"_

_"Would what? Kill me? Punch me on my face? __**I'm **__not the one who's neglecting my son!" _

_"Why you-!" _

_**BAM!**_

_"Giotto!" Nene scampered from her catfight with Nana to Giotto's side, immediately treating his face with an ice cube from their table. "This has nothing to do with work... I-I...!"_

_"ENOUGH!" Onii shouted as he stood right in front of Giotto and Nene. He pulled out several vials from his lab coat and panted angrily. "There isn't any reason for Uncle Reborn to ever lie about my heritage... so I trust him. And if he tells them that I'm their son, I believe him..." He sighed. "And even if they weren't my real parents, I don't think I care. They seem like they care about __**me **__than about the fact that I'm intelligent. So if I can ask all of you to kindly... leave us alone."_

_"T-Tsuna!"_

_"Onii!"_

_"Get. Out." _

_Defeated, Daddy took Mommy and him away from the restaurant. But before they could go away, Natsu caught a glimpse of his Onii crying. And instead of scolding him like Mommy did all those years ago when Onii fell down the stairs, the blond man and the lady comforted him with a hug._

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

"Oh... so that's what happened." Skull honestly didn't know what to say. If that really happened, it would have made perfect sense as to why Tsuna won't fill him in with details. He also felt rather guilty for not being there for him when he really needed him.

Natsu then rubbed his eyes with sleeves before smiling sadly. "So there you have it," Skull then nodded with an understanding look.

A good fifteen minutes passed between them in a comforting silence. It wasn't awkward, since Skull obviously sympathized with Natsu's feelings. But... there was something he didn't quite get...

"What's the reason of you being here then?" Skull asked, he hoped that he didn't sound like he wanted him to leave. But Natsu seemed to understand. "I... I'm here for a selfishness of mine." Again, sloppy Italian. But Skull really appreciated the kid's determination to make things right. "I'm listening." Skull said calmly, his green glasses was awesome.

"I, despite everything, love Onii very much." Natsu sighed as he said that. "He may hate me for all I care, but all these years... he was the one who I looked up to. He was the person I aspire to be..." He clenched his fists on top of his lap. "And I want him to be happy, Skull de Mort-san, I really do." Natsuhiko then looked up from his own hands and straight to his eyes.

"Please... _please _promise me that you will make my most precious Onii happy, okay? I hope you- no, I _know _you can." He smiled, but there were also tears leaking silently from his eyes. Skull could feel his eyes stinging. If it weren't for his glasses, he would have bawled his eyes out.

Skull then ruffled the kid's hair with a sigh. "As I told you earlier, I happen to be in love with your brother. Of course I'll make him happy." The kid looked out to him in gratitude before smiling a genuine smile.

"Thank you, Skull de Mort-san, _thank you_."

"Actually," Skull said as he pulled the kid to a hug Luce would pull him into whenever he felt miserable about Medea. "You can call me Skull-niisan, if you like."

And that was a start of another bond for both of them.

* * *

_**~A Certain Genius Chemist's Whirlpool of Trouble~**_

* * *

"Congratulations, Nene!"

"Congrats, Giotto!"

The weddings bells were tolling merrily as the couple stepped outside the church for the first time after they exchanged an oath. Flower petals showered them as they kissed underneath a mistletoe, one of the very great reason to have a wedding on winter. It was the 31st of December and only a few hours away from Giotto's birthday.

The couple looked happy, of course. Nene was exchanging words with his mother, who looked like she was an angel who rose from hell to congratulate a wedding. Uncle Ven and Uncle Van were both under a mistletoe as well with Uncle Van violently kissing the blond Uncle mercilessly. His mom always said that they were always so explosive with their relationship.

Tsuna was in the middle of them, smiling and happily laughing to a sobbing-in-happiness Gokudera-kun. Takeshi-kun was also there, laughing like he always do. Skull kept on clapping behind them, smiling to himself about all this thing.

Having his mom, Uncle Ven, Uncle Van, and all the Vongola seemed to be a natural for them. Just a few months ago Skull thought that he was going to go into an all out war with them and now... he was a _family_.

It was nice.

After the festivities over, what will happen though...?

As he began to lose track of his own mind, his favorite chemist then stood next to him. "Are you enjoying the party, Skull-san?" He asked with a smile on his face. Skull chuckled. "Not as much as Lal and Colonnello, but I do." He gestured to the nearby Lal and Colonnello, who was kissing each other madly under the piano.

Tsuna giggled and slipped his hand in Skull's, intertwining their fingers together. "You know, Nene-san and Giotto-san, I-I mean, Mom and Dad... asked me to move in with them once they get themselves settled. Starting over as a new family, they said." Skull froze in his place. Freya had told him about this. But... hearing it from Tsuna's mouth was another thing entirely.

"You... you should go," Skull said, his voice cracking. "It'll be nice. You'll finally get a family that we so desperately wanted, r-right?" _Don't leave. Please, no. Don't leave. I love you too much just to see you leave, Tsuna. You're mine, mine! I don't want to let you go. _"I-I'll be totally okay if you want to be with them." _I love you, stay with me. _"Be happy, Tsuna." _Be happy with me._

Tsuna looked at him with a knowing smile on his face. He then pulled Skull's tie gently and whispered in Skull's ear. "I'm not going anywhere without you, _my _most precious wimpy stuntman..." Skull's heart soared in happiness as he saw the devilish smirk on Tsuna's face. "You gave me a titanium, it basically means that you own every part of me as long as I have these earrings on. And believe me, because I swear by the name of Father Lavoisier that I won't be taking these anytime soon."

Skull laughed as an amused brown met with his relieved purple. They were so close now that Skull was literally forehead to forehead with Tsuna.

"Skull-san, I..." The said stuntman looked up to see a mistletoe conveniently hanging on top of them. His eyes went back to Tsuna again as he pinned the little brunet on the wall, his hands right next to his head. "I love you. I want to stay with you forever. And since we're under a mistletoe..."

They shared a kiss. A light, chaste kiss that eventually turned into a full-blown French kissing section. The people outside were noisy, probably because the bride was throwing her bouquet. "I think... we should go back to catch the bouquet..." Skull said as he panted, slightly out of breath from their tennis match of tongues.

Tsuna chuckled. "Are you kidding me, Skull-san? We're under a mistletoe, we should kiss instead of worrying about other things."

And that was how the genius chemist and the wimpy stuntman shared a proper French kiss for the first time.

* * *

_**Next:**_

_**Atomic Number 6: Carbon.**_

_"Mom... you can't die before I avenge you! I swear I'll get that chemist to make me a bomb strong enough to blow Checkerface into oblivion! So please don't die on me...!"_

_"Oh, Uni... dear Uni... come here, my love."_

* * *

**Ventus Theme from Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. Listen to that when you're reading this...**

**Next chapter will be the start of a new arc! The clock is ticking for Uni and Byakuran, and with the Vongola withdrawing from the Nuclear Bounty, everything is way easier. And as for Tsuna, the Vindice workshop is only two weeks away and he needed to prepare everything. It turns out that he'd missed a **_**lot **_**of stuff in school and the lab members are ready to fill him in.**

**I already dropped the hints of who Uni's mother hints is so :p**

**And I have a quick question... what do you guys think about Nene? Can I know?**

**Review Replies-**

**Crispybaconlove - If I can say the mushy explanation, maybe the reason Nana and Iemitsu neglected Tsuna was because they don't actually feel connected with him. Won't you be weirded out if you suddenly have to raise a son that was supposed to be a daughter? Iemitsu is already suspicious from the very start, and that's why he's never there. While Nana feels really connected to Natsu, so she sort of left Tsuna for someone she felt connected to.**

**Narutopokefan - Now you know that what went down! I hope it was good enough for you XD**

**Randomchick95 - You should be feeling awesome because your idea was awesome! And thank you for loving this story :D**

**Yaoi-Fanatic-Freak - You, sir, just gave me a really great idea concerning Giotto's paranoia over Tsuna's relationship. Do see it next chapter XD**

**Echo andAlice - I know, there aren't many SkullTsuna fic around and that's why I'm very happy that this story has many faves, reviews, and follows. It makes me feel flattered somehow XD And yes, I base Tsuna and Skull's relationship with me and my ex, maybe it's the reason why it felt realistic. Oh, awesome! I always like it when Indonesian reads my fic! Umm, I don't really know how I improve my English, though, it just kind of... happened. But if I'm about to give a tip, I'll always say that the spelling and grammar is something you can learn throughout your writing journey. You should keep writing and keep publishing and learn along the way. I certainly did that XD**

**Soul Vrazy - Ran is having a very difficult time now. She's in a slump after her boyfriend cheated on her so... yeah, something did happen to her. I'll tell her of your concern :)**

**Jazebeth - I think I cheered the exact same thing after I wrote it! That was a really long-awaited moment... And I'm glad for Tsuna as well! I love parental Reborn so much.**

**Silent Orange Summers - Yeah, if Nana got a POV of her own, she'd definitely think of how ironic this all was. All this time she neglected Tsuna, and it turns out that he wasn't her son in the first place. If Nana was pathetic, she would have think that she'd done a good job, but... Nana isn't so pathetic in this fic XD**

**Tenshi-Oujosama - LOL! I think I would have a breakdown and faint as well after I turned into a statue. Hahaha yeah, Tsuna drops triple bomb there the homosexual bomb, the having-a-lover-that's-way-older bomb and the living together bomb XDDD And yessss it made my day as well!**

**Okay, please review :)**


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